Tallers Can't Be Choosers
by SpyroForLife
Summary: In irken society, status is based on height. That's why the Almighty Tallest, the leaders, are just that: the tallest of them all. Red and Purple are very proud of their position... so what happens when it gets challenged? Ariva, a tall female irken with big plans to become a physicist, is going to find out. Mostly non-canon characters, no pairings except implied RaPR.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Arms full of books, the pink-eyed irken made her way over to a table, where she dropped them next to her laptop. Sighing, she sat down and pulled one toward her at random. In order to graduate from Higher Academy, she had to write a report on a topic of her choosing, showing her aptitude in the subject she plans on majoring in. Most of the students her age didn't have to, content to leave here with mediocre marks and become food drones or factory workers, but she had bigger plans for herself. So she was in the advanced courses.

A tall irken couldn't work short jobs, after all.

She chose to explain her understanding and theories regarding particle physics. She hoped to one day be a scientist and be able to reveal even more about the mysterious workings of the universe. Not even the irkens fully understood it.

"The interactions between matter and energy have always fascinated me," she dictated out loud as she typed her intro. "The complexity of subatomic particles-"

"Hey, Ariva, there you are," someone said behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder before returning to her work. "Can't talk, Flek."

Her classmate, a red-eyed irken about a foot shorter than her, sat down in a chair next to her and picked up one of the books. "Final report?"

"Yeah."

"You work too hard. You should come with me and Xyle, we're going out to eat to celebrate school almost being over."

Ariva sighed, flipping through a book and reading carefully before typing more. "Flek, I can't. I have to do this, it's due in two weeks."

He frowned. "Relax, you've got time. You need to get out more, have some fun."

"I can have fun when it's summer."

Giving up, Flek stood. "Okay, well… if you change your mind, we'll be at Sloove's at 1800 hours."

"Okay." With no intention of meeting them, Ariva pulled her calculator over and started inputting complex functions to check before including them in her report.

"See you later." Flek walked away.

She just nodded in response, and he was gone from her thoughts the moment he left the library.

Sometimes she did think she worked too hard, but what could she do? Society had a high expectation for irkens like her. She wasn't interested in the military, so she devoted herself to the next best thing: science. She'll do her race proud.

She frowned at the numbers on her calculator. "Well, that can't be right." Taking out a piece of paper, she proceeded to work it by hand. She couldn't afford to make a mistake. The University would surely reject her… they only accepted the best of the best.

This subject was turning out to be incredibly frustrating, and Ariva had to pause about five pages in. She looked over her work, rechecking the data charts she had included. So far, so good… but there was still so much to do. She checked the clock on the wall. 1750. She's been here a few hours now.

Stretching, she got out of the chair, pacing to put some sensation back in her numb legs. Endless numbers and formulas kept circling in her brain. She was close to something, she knew it… but what?

Her stomach suddenly gurgled, reminding her that her body existed. Sighing, she saved the files on her computer and turned it off, pushing it into her bag. Then she returned all the books except a few, which she took to the front of the library to check out. No doubt she'll be using them.

Slinging her now-heavy bag over her shoulder, she headed out to find somewhere to eat. Flek's offer came to mind, and she decided to meet up with him. They've been friends for a while now, but she always put academics before her social life. And this was the biggest project of her life.

She walked into Sloove's a few minutes past 1800, and upon seeing Flek sitting at a table with Xyle, a dark-green-eyed guy who loved to flirt with anybody and everybody, she went to join them.

"Hey, we were just about to order some drinks," Flek said, smiling at her. "Good thing we waited."

"Thanks." She picked up a menu. "I almost didn't come, but I was hungry."

"Well, get whatever you want, I'm buying," Xyle said.

"Great, thanks."

The server came over. "Can I get you some drinks?" He looked at Ariva first, since she was the tallest one there.

"I'll have a soda. Don't care what, surprise me," she replied.

"Okay…" He wrote that down. "And for you two?"

"Cola," Flek said.

"Laav juice," Xyle answered.

When the server left to get them, Flek raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Laav juice? Really?"

"Hey, it's good for you. Don't judge, man."

Ariva's antennae flicked, and she looked around, getting the feeling that she was being watched. No one seemed to be looking at her, busy eating or talking to friends and family. She looked down at her menu again, but just as she was picking out what she wanted, the feeling came again. Her head jerked up in time to see a dark-eyed irken watching her from a few tables down. He met her eyes coolly before looking down at an electronic tablet on his table, flicking through it as he took a drink.

Noticing the movement, Flek asked, "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just… I think that guy over there was staring at me," Ariva answered.

Flek looked, but didn't seem too concerned. "Why wouldn't he? You're probably the tallest person in here, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, okay." She returned her attention to her menu, putting the mystery irken out of mind.

Soon, their drinks arrived and their food orders were taken, and she forget all about it as they got into a discussion about their future plans. Xyle had a very nice job at a big company that manufactured parts for warships, and planned on getting into a management position by working full time.

Flek wanted to be an ambassador. He wanted to visit other planets and talk to aliens, and work out peace treaties with them. Though the current Tallest weren't very interested in peace. Red and Purple enjoyed forcibly conquering and slaughtering every race they came across. Many people didn't like it, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Ariva was eagerly explaining her project by the time the food arrived, much to the relief of her friends. While they supported her, they could hardly understand the physics she loved so much.

Conversation was put on hold as they ate. This place always did have good food, and it wasn't terribly expensive.

As Ariva licked sauce off her fingers, she found herself feeling strangely… normal. She was glad she decided to come here after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, Ariva got up early so she could do some more work before heading to the Academy. The dorms were still dark and quiet as she sat down in the common room with her laptop and books. Munching on a sweet pastry from the kitchen, she resumed where she had left off yesterday.

About half an hour later, another student entered the room, gave her a tired greeting, and headed for the kitchen to make coffee.

Ten students, including Ariva, lived in this particular building, and they were a decent lot. They were usually quiet, and courteous of each other's studying needs. Ariva very rarely had to ask someone to tone it down.

A female, who shared most of her advanced courses, came to sit with her. "Doing your graduation project?"

"Yeah." Ariva looked over at the dark-purple-eyed irken. "What are you doing yours on, Lutz?"

"Irk weather systems. I want to pursue a career in meteorology. Did you know some of the ancient deserts at the equator sometimes have massive hurricanes filled with sand? Fascinating."

"That'll explain why we don't have many cities down there," Ariva laughed.

Lutz took a book out of her backpack. "Well, I'm gonna read some more, I'll stop bothering you."

"All right."

The two continued to sit together, but their attention was now on their own projects.

By the time Ariva started packing up to go to her first class, all the inhabitants of the dormitory were awake, finishing homework, talking to friends, discussing plans for after graduation, and finishing breakfast so they could leave.

Ariva and Lutz left together, talking about their projects, and quizzing each other for the advanced Calculus test they would be taking in their first class. Ariva couldn't wait until she moved on to University, so she could take something more challenging.

They had to cross a few streets to get to the campus, including a large intersection. The signal told them they could cross, but just as Ariva was putting a foot on the smooth pavement, Lutz yelled, "Look out!" and grabbed her shoulders, yanking her back so hard that they both fell backward. Less than a second later, a high speed transport truck zipped by, right where Ariva would have been if she had kept walking.

"You damn maniacs!" Lutz shouted after it. "I bet they didn't even slow down. You okay, Ariva?"

"Yeah, fine." She got up, but was visibly shaken. If Lutz hadn't pulled her back, she'd be dead. After checking to make sure none of her books or laptop had fallen out of her bag, she crossed the road with her friend, safely this time.

The rest of the walk was uneventful, and they soon reached the familiar Higher Academy campus. As usual, most people got out of her way. She was the tallest here, and a few people joked about her being the next Tallest, which she disagreed with. She was several kliks shorter than them, last time she checked. And she hasn't grown much since then. Besides, she was hardly leadership material.

Sometimes, she wished they would treat her like everyone else, but irken society just didn't work that way. Height = status. That's the way it's always been and always will be.

The Calculus test went well, and those who finished early were allowed to leave early, so Ariva and Lutz decided to walk around campus for the last twenty minutes of first period, discussing some of the problems from the test they were unsure about, but both were sure they had passed.

A group of younger irkens ran by, freshmen, most likely. One stopped to look at Ariva, and he said, "Whoa, you're tall! You might be the tallest person on Irk! Besides the Almighty Tallest, of course, but they aren't actually on Irk, so…"

"Oh, I'm not the tallest," Ariva replied. "I checked, there's a guy who's taller than me, he's in the military, I think he's actually only one klik shorter than Red and Purple. If they die, he's next in line."

"Wait, are you talking about Gloog?" Lutz asked.

"Yeah, I think that's his name."

"Gloog was killed in a tussle with some Vortians. He was well on his way to becoming a general, but a trip to Vort went horribly wrong for his whole platoon. Don't you watch the news?"

Ariva hadn't known that. "Wow, that's terrible."

"You really should check your current height against the Control Brains' databases, they know how tall everyone currently is," Lutz suggested.

"Well, we do have time… let's go to the library, then. But you're being ridiculous, I'm not that tall…" Ariva said a brief goodbye to the younger irkens before heading for the library, Lutz trailing behind her.

Once there, she sat down at the special bank of computers that allowed one to interface directly with the Control Brains. She pulled a wire out of her PAK, plugging it in. She closed her eyes, letting their extraordinary presence fill her.

"I need to know how my height compares to that of every other irken… who's taller than me?"

"Processing request," a deep voice said, reverberating within her mind. "Student Ariva-238 is 70 kliks. Collecting data from other subjects… Three irkens are of a height that exceeds yours. Captain Odri, stationed on Meekrob. Current height: 71 kliks. Mature and will grow no more. At 72 kliks each, 72.351 to be exact, are Almighty Tallest Red and Almighty Tallest Purple, leaders of the Irken Empire, currently onboard the Massive in Sector 98."

"I'm the fourth tallest irken alive?" Ariva asked in amazement.

"Yes. Our mighty Tallest are also mature and will no longer grow. You have a few months left and may possibly exceed them."

"Oh, no… they're excellent, I could never replace them. Thanks for the info."

"You are welcome. Now return to your studies, Student Ariva."

The link ended and Ariva detached the wire. She blinked, adjusting to her surroundings once more, and saw Lutz smirking. "Okay," she relented. "I'm the fourth tallest. Third is some guy on Meekrob, who is 71 kliks. And second and first, of course, are Tallest Red and Tallest Purple, at 72."

"Whoa! Hey, you might have a chance!"

"Yeah, if that Odri guy just happened to die… but he's a captain, I'm sure he could take care of himself. Anyway, I just want to graduate, go to University, and get my dream job as a physicist." Ariva checked the time. "Well, second period is in five minutes. Let's go."

The two headed for their Ancient History II class. It was somewhat interesting, learning about some of the first irken civilizations. Even back then, different bands of irkens would slaughter each other and take land and slaves. The need to conquer was in their blood. Though the past several hundred years have been much nicer, since the entire irken species has been united under the Tallest and Control Brains. Everyone had a place in society. Everyone had PAKs and spoke a single language worldwide. Things were good now.

Flek and Xyle joined them as they entered the room.

"Hey girls," Xyle said, smiling pleasantly at them.

"Put a sock in it," Lutz replied.

"Lutz, darling! Hey, you wanna go-"

"Not in a million years."

"Fine then." Xyle sat down at his desk, taking out his notebook and staring at it as though it was extremely interesting. Flek sat next to him, comforting him after this failure.

Ariva and Lutz went to sit down a few seats ahead of them, taking out their books.

Already, Ariva wished school was over so she could get back to her project. The sooner she finished, the better.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ariva walked back to her dormitory alone that afternoon. Lutz was staying behind to talk to the Irk and Environmental Science teacher about some weather systems she was confused about. And Flek and Xyle didn't live near her; they had gone in another direction.

This time, she looked carefully both ways before crossing the intersection.

As she neared the nondescript gray building, she saw an older irken, female, leaning against a lamppost, glumly watching passersby. She turned her crimson eyes onto her and called, "Are you Ariva?"

"Yeah," Ariva replied suspiciously. She didn't trust this strange irken. Her clothes seemed to be made of black leather, there were spikes on her knee-high combat boots, and… was that a dagger strapped to her thigh?

"You really are a tall one, aren't you? 70 kliks, unless I'm mistaken."

"Yes, and I really need to get back home, I have a graduation project to finish."

"Don't worry." The irken walked closer. "In a few moments, you won't have to worry about anything, ever again." Her hand moved for the dagger.

Ariva scrambled backward, PAK legs automatically stretching out and arcing in front of her protectively, generating an energy shield. The dagger glanced off of it less than a second later; it would have imbedded in her neck if she hadn't pulled her shield up.

The older female rushed forward, and Ariva ran, zigzagging to avoid the dagger as it flew toward her again. It grazed the side of her head, and she gritted her teeth in pain, but didn't slow down.

"Face your death with honor!" the other yelled.

"Get away from me! Help!" Ariva screamed. Other irkens were taking notice now, and an armored police officer was heading their way.

Then she was tackled. The air was forced out of her as she hit the sidewalk, chin colliding hard enough that her jaws clapped together. Pain seared from her teeth, moving up and back, and her vision wavered.

"Just take my money," she mumbled, pulling the flap of her shoulder bag open.

"No thanks, I've already been paid handsomely for this job." The shorter irken kicked her over onto her back and knelt down, one hand on her chest while the other raised the sharp dagger high.

Ariva closed her eyes, turning her face aside, waiting for the fatal blow.

"When the All-Mother welcomes you, tell her Shade sends her regards."

But the strike never came. There was suddenly a growl, and the weight on Ariva's middle and arms was lifted, and she heard snarling from two irkens now.

She opened her eyes and saw that the police officer had pulled Shade back, his hand grasping her wrist firmly.

"Someone hired her to kill me!" Ariva panted, dragging herself backward. "Stop her!"

"I've got her, m'am. Backup is on the way, a cruiser will be here soon," the officer said.

"The hell I'll let you take me alive!" Shade twisted out of his grip in a surprisingly graceful spin, starting back for Ariva, who continued to back away. The cop grabbed onto her again, and Ariva took the opportunity to run, telling herself that she just imagined it when Shade called, "I know where you live, meat!" before she was knocked out by the cop.

Ariva was shaking as she entered her dormitory, slumping onto a couch in the common room. That was an assassin. Someone had been hired to _kill_ her! Why? By who?

She should have hung around, see if they could get some information out of Shade, but she had just wanted to get away.

Pain and an unpleasant trickling sensation reminded her of the wound on the side of her head, so she got up, heading up to her rooms. She left her bag near the desk and entered the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she saw a three-klik-long cut along the side of her head, left when the dagger grazed her. It was still bleeding, but luckily wasn't very deep.

Retrieving a washrag, she carefully washed the blood away, knowing her PAK will eventually knit up the gash. It happened almost instantly for soldiers, but she was just a student. Healing will take longer simply because it wasn't crucial for her to heal quickly.

The same question kept buzzing in her mind. Who would hire someone to kill her? She's never done anything to hurt anyone, so no one would want revenge… Maybe someone was jealous of her? She was tall and intelligent… still, she's never wronged anyone.

She rinsed off the pink-tinged washrag and tossed it back into the shower, then went back into her personal living space, picking up her bag and sitting at the desk. She was just gonna try to put it out of her mind, get her homework done, and work on her project. She was sure she was on the edge of a breakthrough. At least her laptop didn't seem too damaged from hitting the ground earlier…

About an hour later, Lutz let herself in and said, "Hey, Ariva."

"Oh, hey Lutz." Ariva nodded to her and returned to typing.

"How far have you gotten?"

"Pretty far, but there's a lot more to go. Did you figure out what you needed to?"

"Yeah, I got it." Lutz walked past her, then looked closely at her and stared. "What happened to your head?"

"Accident," Ariva replied, a little too quickly.

Lutz wasn't buying it. "It looks like someone slashed you with a knife. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What happened?"

Ariva sighed, turning away from her laptop to gaze at her concerned friend. "When I was walking home, I was attacked by an assassin."

Lutz gasped. "What? Why? Did they get him?"

"Yes, the police got her, but I didn't hang around to get any information, I just ran. All I know is she was apparently paid a lot to kill me. She almost did." She couldn't help reaching up to touch the wound.

"Oh my… first you almost got hit by a truck, now this… you have to be careful. We can't loose you… you have so much promise."

"Yeah…" Ariva trailed off as a realization hit her. "Wait. I'm the fourth tallest irken, right? I was fifth, but that Gloog guy died. Now someone was hired to get rid of me. Do you think… someone is intentionally getting rid of tall irkens?"

Lutz gaped at her. "That's… crazy. Not to mention, extremely risky. Killing off tall irkens? Who gains from that?"

"I don't know… maybe some jealous, short irken wants to get rid of taller irkens. Or… maybe…" An even crazier idea hit her. "What if the Tallest are behind it?"

"What?" Lutz laughed. "That's crazy."

"Think about it. If no one even comes near their height, there's no risk of them being replaced. Everyone knows they're mad with power. They're on… what, Operation Impending Doom V by now? They aren't going to back down any time soon."

Lutz thought that over. "Maybe, but… that's such an out-there claim… it could just be coincidence… yes, the Tallest are cruel, but… there's just no proof."

"I guess. Let's just hope I'm wrong…" Ariva finally turned back to her work. She'll just have to be careful. She couldn't let this get to her…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next few weeks passed without any further mishap. Ariva finished her research project and presented it to a board of assorted teachers, and even a representative from the nearby University. She stuttered a few times out of anxiety, but felt she did pretty well.

They applauded as she turned off her slideshow, and she bowed her head in gratitude.

"Very nice, Ariva," the principal said. "We knew you were in advanced classes, but to have such an in-depth grasp of physics at your age…"

"Thank you," she replied, returning her notes to her bag and preparing to head back to class.

The University representative spoke up. "You have quite the future ahead of you, Ms. Ariva. We'll be honored to have you at our establishment. I'll see what I can do about scholarships."

Barely able to contain her excitement, Ariva thanked him. He bowed his head, antennae twitching in a respectful salute. It was a gesture typically only directed toward adults, so she felt very mature as she responded with the same salute. Despite being so much younger, she was being treated like an equal.

When she walked out, another student was called in, and she wished him luck. Then, once out of their hearing range, she did a quick little victory dance, pumping her fists in the air. "Yes! Oh, next year is going to be awesome!" Then she composed herself, continuing to walk. She was sure she'll be accepted. Maybe even with a scholarship!

It was still third period, so she entered her Computer Programming class. She didn't really need it, but had figured it would come in handy.

Since the year was almost over and they had already taken their final exams, the teacher has been letting them do whatever they wanted on their computers (as long as it was school appropriate, of course).

So Ariva sat at her assigned computer, traded brief hello's with her acquaintances, and logged in. Once the desktop came up, she picked up the antennae clips that sat next to eat computer, carefully sliding them over her antennae tips. The pressure was odd, but no more than if she were to gently squeeze one.

She plugged the cord into the computer, made sure the sound was at the right level, and clicked the icon that connected her to the massive global information network that spanned Irk. You could find anything here.

Rather than watch comedy videos and browse gaming and blogging websites like the other students, she simply turned on some music and went to the homepage of the University. She opened up the 3D, interactive model of the campus and full-screened it, exploring it. She did this often, but she always enjoys it.

The science labs had an entire building, and she explored them despite having familiarized herself with them already. It's going to be so great going there…

When her song ended, she clicked out of the simulation. She went to the music site to start another song, then returned to the University page. She had already applied for most of the scholarships, so after checking a few more things, she decided to just look up different theories and formulas that have given her trouble in the past.

Boring of that, she typed in the address to one of her favorite trivia sites, and spent the rest of the period playing games and taking short quizzes. Her mind always demanded new stimulation, and she got bored very quickly if she wasn't doing something interesting.

Before she knew it, the bell was ringing, and she became aware of how hungry she was. She had been too nervous to eat much this morning. Luckily, she had this lunch period, so she headed for the cafeteria.

Flek and Xyle shared lunch with her, and they soon joined her from their shop class, smelling of fuel. And in Flek's case, fire.

"Did you stand to close to the exhaust pipe again?" Ariva asked.

Looking sheepish, Flek nodded, wiping his clothes off. Then he pointed accusingly at his friend. "Because this guy didn't warn me he was about to turn the cruiser on!"

Xyle held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I told you I was going to check the engine! You should have moved as soon as I got in!"

"Well, it's done now. It can be someone else's problem."

The cruisers made at the end of the Mechanics III class, if they passed inspection, were sold to private parties and individuals, and sometimes bought by the student or students who made them. They were only for mildly busy cities and such (they weren't even space capable), but all the profits helped buy tools and other equipment for the shop classes.

Xyle changed the subject as they entered the cafeteria and got in line. "So Ariva, how did your presentation go?"

"They loved it," she said happily. "I think some of the teachers had trouble understanding it!"

Xyle put a hand on her shoulder. "Honey… everyone has trouble understanding you sometimes."

She shrugged his hand off. "Yeah, I know."

"Graduation's in a few days," Flek said.

"Oh man, it is," Xyle replied. "I… I mean, that's awesome, I want to get out of here, but… I don't want to grow up. I still kinda feel like a kid."

"Yeah, but we've all gotta grow up eventually," Ariva said, shrugging.

"But after that… summer!" Flek said excitedly.

"Yeah!" Xyle cheered.

"I'll need to get a job to buy a house, only Higher Academy students can stay in the dorms." Ariva laughed a little. "I've gotten so used to free housing and food as long as I'm a student…"

"You'll probably get a full ride through Zerxes University, so you won't have to pay for it," Xyle pointed out. "You're a genius, they'll accept you."

"Yeah… I'll probably just rent an apartment in the meantime."

They finally reached the front of the line, grabbing trays and picking out the food they wanted. They gave their identification numbers to the lunch lady so she could confirm that they were students, and then they were allowed through.

As they sat down, Xyle said, "You could live with us. I've been putting away money to get a nice place for me and mah bro… Flek, you wouldn't mind letting her live with us, right?"

Flek raised an eyebrow. "The place we were looking at only has two bedrooms."

"She can share one with me- OW!"

Ariva let go of Xyle's antenna. "That would be nice… if you can spare a little more for a three-bedroom place. No offense, but I don't trust this guy."

"Hey!"

"No problem, we were looking at one of those too," Flek said. "Not much of a yard, but you know how it is."

"Cool. I promised not to be a nuisance."

Xyle waved it off. "You could never be a nuisance. We'll give you a call once we buy it, and you can move in and change your contact information with the city."

"Sounds good." Ariva picked up her sandwich. She was really looking forward to summer break.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Forcing the last of her clothes into a suitcase, Ariva zipped it shut and stood, looking around the now-bare room. She's lived in this dorm for five years… she was going to miss it.

She carried the suitcase out into the living room and set it down next to her other bags. The desk sat empty nearby, the few posters and pictures had been taken down, and personal belongings had been packed away. It looked like when she had first moved in.

Hearing a knock on the door, she called, "Come on in."

Lutz came in, suitcase in hand, her purse hanging from one shoulder and another bag on the other. She looked around the room. "You've been packing too?"

"Yeah. I'm done, though." Ariva lifted her bags, putting them over her shoulders, around her arms, and anywhere she had room. With her hands full, she headed for the door.

"Me too. Well, let's go check out."

They went down into the common room, called out greetings and farewells to their fellow graduates, and went outside.

They had to go to the administration office on campus to officially release their rooms to the school once more. After summer break, freshmen who didn't have families to live with (such as those born from cloning tubes, like Ariva) would take up free residency here, courtesy of the city, as long as they went to Academy and put in a good effort.

Lutz, having raised enough money at her part-time job, had managed to buy a cruiser. She took her stuff out to it, loading it into the storage bay.

"Want a ride?" she asked.

"Is there room?" Ariva wondered.

"I'm pretty sure, there are two seats. Let me just move my stuff over…" As Lutz was leaning into the cruiser, a bright red one suddenly streaked up next to them. The passenger window rolled down, and Flek leaned out, Xyle looking over at them.

"Hey sexy ladies!" Xyle called.

"Need a ride, pal?" Flek asked. "We're already checked out and our stuff's at our house."

Ariva glanced at Lutz, who shrugged. "Go on, I'll follow you." She closed the storage compartment and went to get in the driver's seat.

Meanwhile, Flek got out to help Ariva load her bags into the red vehicle. When they were done, they got in, Ariva climbing into the back seat.

"This is a nice cruiser," she said as Xyle shifted gears and drove it back onto the road, Lutz following behind them.

"Thanks, it's the one we built in Mechanics," Xyle replied. "We grew too attached to it, we just had to buy it."

"Well, it's very nice. And it still has that new cruiser smell."

Flek draped an arm across the back of his seat, turning to look at her. "You and Lutz are going to the academy, right?"

"Yep."

"Thought so."

They paused at an intersection, watching vehicles pass going the other way. Then the signal changed for that side to stop and theirs to go.

As Xyle moved forward, Flek suddenly yelled, "LOOK OUT!" and grabbed the controls, twisting the cruiser out of the way just as a fast, striped sports model shot through the intersection, completing ignoring the 'stop' signal.

It missed their cruiser by kliks, and as they swerved, they saw it brush through another lane, causing a cacophony of horns blowing and brake thrusters activating. A family-sized vehicle was actually side-swiped, and pulled off the road.

The reckless driver disappeared from view, and slowly, traffic returned to normal.

Ariva loosened her hold on the seat cushion, just now realizing she was shaking.

"Maniacs," Xyle growled.

"If they had hit us at that speed…" Flek trailed off, shaking his head. "This thing would crumple under such a collision. I hope no one was hurt."

A police cruiser shot by them, obviously pursing the street racer, and Xyle cheered it on. "Go get him, put him behind bars!"

"That was too close," Ariva muttered, slumping back and holding her forehead.

"We're okay," Flek reassured her. "Look, there's the academy."

She sat up as they pulled in, parking near the main office and shutting down.

As they got out, Lutz parked next to them and opened the door. "Did you see that maniac?! He nearly hit you!"

"I know," Ariva said, leaning against the cruiser for support.

Lutz went over to hug her. "First the ship, now that cruiser… people need to learn to drive."

"Why am I such a magnet for disaster?" Ariva wondered, as they began walking toward the office.

"These things just happen, I guess."

When they entered, the secretary smiled and said, "Giving up your dorms?"

"Yeah, we are," Lutz said, gesturing to herself and Ariva.

"I'll get the forms." The lady opened a drawer, flicking through it before extracting two sheets of paper, passing one to each of them, along with pens.

While they filled them out, Flek and Xyle discussed the near accident, hoping the guy was caught. Then, seeing one of their old teachers, went to talk to him.

Finishing first, Ariva gave the form back, digging the keycard out of her purse and handing it over.

"Thank you, and good luck in college."

"Thanks." Ariva went to see who Flek and Xyle were talking to, but it was a teacher she hadn't had. So she just stood there awkwardly.

Noticing her, he said, "I know you! Ariva… 238, right?"

"Huh?" She hadn't expected him to talk to her, or use her identification number. "Yeah, that's me."

"I thought so. I've heard many good things about you. You're the tallest, smartest student in this academy."

She shyly replied, "Well, I don't know about smartest…"

"Look at her, she's so modest!" Xyle said, sweeping her against him with an arm. "Girl, you are smart. And super cute. Be proud of yourself!"

Lutz joined them, done with her paperwork. "Hey, are we done here?"

"Oh, yeah," Ariva said, glad to change the subject. "Let's go."

"I just know you'll get a good scholarship and be very successful," the teacher said. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

They walked out, and once they were out in the warm air, Xyle gave a little twirl. "Freedom! No more academy, life is good!"

"Work and taxes," was Flek's only comment.

"You're such a downer." Xyle grabbed his wrists, swinging his friend around in a circle. "No more academy! No teachers, or homework, or detention!"

"Nope, just bosses, paperwork, and prison," Lutz said with a laugh.

"You guys are lame." Xyle was still in a good mood, though. He draped his arms around Flek and Lutz, and Ariva put her arm around Lutz. While being an adult was a big responsibility, and it definitely wasn't all fun and games, they could afford to laugh and be teens for just a while longer.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The cruiser powered down outside of a one-story house, and the three got out.

"Home, sweet home," Xyle said, spreading his hands dramatically.

"Grass is dying," Ariva observed, going around to the back to get her stuff. Flek went to help her, while Xyle went to unlock the door.

"Yeah, I guess it needs water… hopefully it rains soon." Xyle moved aside so the two could enter with the luggage.

Ariva looked around at the simple furniture and few decorations. Despite its plainness, however, it was a nice house.

"My bedroom's over there, past the kitchen," Flek said, jerking his head toward it. They walked through the living room. "Bathroom there. Xyle's room over there…" He shouldered the remaining door open. "And this will be your room."

She looked around it. It had a window, a closet, a dresser, desk, and a bed. It was kinda small, but it was nice. She put her bags down, and Flek did the same.

"I'll let you unpack. Xyle and I will start lunch. How does keeter nibbles sound?"

Ariva wasn't a big fan of meat; it wasn't very healthy. But keeter meat had a distinct sweet aftertaste she was rather fond of, so she agreed. "Sounds good."

"All right, they'll be done soon." Flek left.

Ariva dragged her suitcase over to the dresser, unpacking her clothes into it. Underclothing in one drawer, nightclothes in the one next to it. In the middle row, she crammed her few shorts and capris into a single drawer, and her more numerous pants into the next. Finally, her shirts were sorted into the top two, based on sleeve length.

Placing the empty suitcase aside, she grabbed another bag, looking to see what was inside it. Assorted toiletries, so she got up to take them to the bathroom. The sink didn't have much room around it, and Xyle's toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash were already sitting on one side.

She put her stuff on the other side, and then went over to the shower, putting her bottle of body wash on the empty rack, below the one that was already occupied by Xyle's body wash.

Then she returned to her room, carrying her laptop bag over to the desk and taking it out, setting it in the center. She plugged it in to charge and put the bag off to the side.

Her notebooks, pencils, and pens were set out on the desk as well.

Then came the personal belongings, which she arranged wherever she found room for them.

Her favorite stuffed animal was set on her bed, old trophies and certificates from assorted academy contests were arranged on top of the dresser, and her few posters were laid out on the bed; she'll have to ask for some tape.

Finally, she took out her framed diploma, smiling at it, and then looking around to see where she wanted to hang it. Over the desk would work, but she'll need a tack.

Leaving it on the bed, she went over to the closet, opening it and putting her empty suitcase and bags inside.

Closing the door, she went back out, entering the kitchen.

The smell of cooking keeter meat and bread met her antennae, and she licked her lips. She walked over to the stove, where Flek was rolling the nibbles around on the pan to make sure they were evenly cooked.

Xyle, meanwhile, was rummaging through the cabinet. "We don't have much food yet… we'll buy more after my next paycheck. But we do have chips!" He took the bag out and plopped it on the counter next to the stove.

"Need me to do anything?" Ariva asked.

"Nah, we're almost done," Flek replied. "Xyle, get some drinks out, would ya?"

"All right." Xyle opened the refrigerator. "Soda for me, soda for mah bro…" He took out two cans. "Riva, soda?"

"What flavor is it?" she asked.

He checked the label. "Namama."

"Ooh, exotic. I'll try it."

"It's really good." He took the cans over to the kitchen table, setting them down.

Flek turned off the stove, reaching up to take down three plates out of a cabinet. "Okay, done." He used the fork to transfer some to his plate, and then went to get some chips. The other two did the same, and then went to sit down at the table.

Xyle popped his can of soda open, holding it up. His friends did as well. "To awesome friends, Higher Academy graduates, and…"

"And a good future!" Ariva added.

"Yeah, good luck to us!" Flek said.

They clanked their sodas together and drank. Then they began eating their lunch, chatting about whatever they could think of, discussing their futures.

Flek planned on going to the local government building to talk to them about the requirements for becoming an ambassador. One had to be calm and polite, cool even when the situation looked bad. They had to be familiar with all types of governments and economics.

"And of course, be fluent in at least one other language," Flek finished. "Of course, I can just download languages into my PAK… I already know Vortian, it's not too difficult. Meekrobian, however…"

"I think their language is pretty," Ariva commented.

"It is, it just has a lot of weird grammar rules… and they pronounce words strangely."

"I'm sure you'll be able to learn it."

"Yeah, it'll just take practice."

They ate quietly for a while, wanting to finish the nibbles before they got cold.

Then Xyle said, "We're going to get started on a brand new fighter model tomorrow. Apparently these are faster and have a longer firing range. I'm pretty excited."

"Congrats," Flek said.

"And if we do a good job, we might get a bonus from the military!"

"That would be awesome. Good luck, hope you guys build them well," Ariva said.

"Yeah, we're going to do our best," Xyle replied.

When they finished eating, Ariva offered to help wash the dishes, but the two declined.

"You go get settled in, we'll handle this," Flek said. "And if you need tape or tacks, they're in this drawer." He indicated it.

"All right." Ariva got what she needed and returned to her room, hanging up her posters and diploma. Then she took a step back to admire her new room. She liked it.

She sank into the chair in front of the desk, sighing. Tomorrow, she planned on going out to find a summer job so she could pay her fair share on bills. But right now, she was going to relax and enjoy being free from Higher Academy at last, and on the path to what she hoped would be a very successful future.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was with a sigh of relief that Ariva left the coffee shop, loosening the pink bowtie that was part of the uniform. She's been working here for a few weeks now. While the pay was decent and she got good hours, dealing with customers could be annoying. Some of them were so demanding.

She waved as another employee walked in to replace her on the next shift. Then, wiping whipped cream off her skirt, she headed home.

Her PAK suddenly informed her that someone was trying to contact her, though the ID number was unfamiliar and there was no name.

After debating whether she wanted to answer, she did, pulling a headset out of her PAK, attaching a clip to one of her antennae and holding the mouthpiece in front of her face. "Hello?"

"Ariva, do not panic. I am going to help you," an unfamiliar voice said.

"Who is this?" Ariva demanded.

"It's too dangerous to give my name over this connection. I am going to lead you to an address, we need to talk."

"Look, I don't know who you are-"

"There is a conspiracy at work and you are in danger. If you value your life, you'll meet with me. Turn right at this street."

Ariva sighed but did as told, turning to walk down a road she's never taken before.

"I can't give you an actual address… in the event that this call is somehow recorded by… unpleasant parties, it'll be difficult for them to work out our location. Go straight here."

"Makes sense, but… what conspiracy are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you when we meet in person."

So Ariva let the stranger lead her down streets and past buildings, trying to remember the turns she made so she could get back to familiar roads.

Finally, she was told to enter a narrow alley between two apartment buildings. She hesitated. It was shady, filled with litter, the walls on both sides covered in graffiti.

"Enter the alley. Don't worry, it's safe." He hung up.

Ariva finally walked in, keeping her antennae perked, looking around for any sign of danger. Then a male irken with dark brown eyes stepped out from the shadows. He pulled back the hood of the black coat he was wearing, looking her over. He was probably about half her height.

"I'll try to keep this brief. My name is Mico, I'm an employee on the Tallest's flagship, the Massive." He sat on the edge of an old crate, looking around, flicking his antennae to ensure that they were alone.

Ariva leaned against the crate but didn't sit. "Just tell me what you want."

He looked back at her. "I don't have much time; the Tallest think I'm on leave to visit my family, but I'm really here to warn you."

"Warn me about what?"

"There is a dark conspiracy at work. Many of us on the Massive are aware of it. A few support it, and some are neutral. But most of us find it appalling and are working to prevent it. Tell me, what do you know about Tallest Red and Purple?"

Ariva shrugged. "Just what I've heard about them in rumors and the news… and I learned about them and many of their predecessors in school. Tallest Red tends to be more of the commander when it comes to directing the fleet, and is more technologically adept than his partner. But Tallest Purple makes some of the more extreme calls, and is very knowledgeable about strategy and how fleets are organized. They both tend to take very aggressive approaches to problems, and… are really arrogant. They love their job, they love conquest… the last twenty years of their career have been devoted to sending out Invaders to every single planet we come across."

Mico nodded. "Yes, you seem to have a good idea of what they're like. They do indeed love their job. So much in fact, that they're willing to do whatever they must to stay in power." His gaze lingered on the side of Ariva's face, and she self-consciously touched the scar from Shade's dagger.

"They're killing off the competition," she whispered.

Mico nodded again, confirming her suspicions. "Yes. They have been very careful to make it look like unrelated accidents. A tall general and his troops are sent into hostile territory and he just so happens to be killed by Vortians. A transport truck is sent down a road that a Higher Academy student happens to frequently cross."

Ariva shook slightly as she remembered almost getting ran over. "And that didn't work… so they sent an assassin."

"Precisely. Now, don't worry. A small group of us have decided to offer protection to anyone they have their eyes on. Mostly you, you're one of the next tallest irkens alive besides them. They're very annoyed that you're still alive."

"Well, I'm sorry for wanting to live," she said sarcastically.

"If you live long enough to grow a couple more kliks, you can demand they step down, and they'll have to. But until then, we're assigning you a bodyguard. You won't see him unless he absolutely has to step in to save you. Otherwise, he'll just keep watch."

Ariva really didn't want to be followed around like that, but she didn't want to be attacked again. "Okay. You what you must. Just keep me safe."

"Of course, Taller Ariva." He saluted her with his antennae. She responded with the same salute. "We're doing what we can to recruit one of the Tallest's top advisors. Perhaps we can get him to convince the Tallest to stop killing off tall irkens. In the meantime, we'll try to keep up with their plans and make sure your guard knows what to expect."

"All right. Thanks."

"We hope to see you on the Massive real soon. Stay safe." Mico got up. "I'm going to my parents' house, that's where I'm supposed to be. Goodbye."

"Bye."

He pulled his hood back up and left. She followed, but he soon disappeared from view. So she started making her way back home, hoping she wouldn't get lost. As she walked, she thought about what she had been told. Her suspicions were right. The Tallest were getting rid of anyone who might replace them. They obviously thought that they were above the law, that they could get away with being responsible for murder.

She'll have to be very, very careful from now on…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Ariva eventually arrived home, she took her headband off, watching the plastic coffee cup bounce around on its springs. Yep, definitely the most ridiculous part of the uniform.

"Hey Flek," she said, going to sit next to him on the couch in the living room, putting the head garment on the coffee table.

"Hey." Flek picked up the remote, turning up the volume on the TV. "Check out the new weather lady. Adorable, isn't she?"

Ariva was pleasantly surprised to see Lutz, holding a microphone as she walked around outside the city park.

"And we're going to have beautiful, sunny days for the rest of the week," she was saying. "So get outside with your friends and family, and enjoy your summer break! Now to Roren with the sports."

It cut to a middle-aged irken. "Thank you, Lutz. In recent blarfball news…"

Flek turned the volume back down.

"Yeah, absolutely adorable, I'd love to meet her," Ariva said with a smile.

"It's her first day on the job, she was in training before," Flek said. "She called me right before she went live and told me what channel to turn to. She did well."

"Yeah, she did," Ariva agreed. "She looked so happy, too. I wonder how long it'll be before she gets to actually predict the weather, not just tell us about it."

"There's training for all that, but for now, she's being a weather lady to learn the basics. And it pays the bills."

"Good point." Ariva's PAK alerted her to a call, but this time, she saw Lutz's ID. She answered it. "Hello?"

"Ariva! Did you see me?"

"Yeah, me and Flek did. You looked great, girl. Were you nervous?"

"So nervous. But I think it went well… what? Oh, okay. Sorry, I gotta go, my cameraman said we have to go back to the station. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"All right. Bye."

"Bye."

Lutz hung up, and Ariva returned her headset to her PAK.

"Was that Lutz?" Flek asked.

"Yeah, she wanted make sure I saw her."

In the excitement of seeing her friend on TV, Ariva had almost forgotten about her meeting with Mico. Now she found herself thinking about it. Should she tell Flek? He was one of her best friends, he had a right to know if her life is in danger.

"So um… I met someone on the way home," Ariva said.

"Oh, do tell," he replied, grinning.

"No, not like that. His name is Mico, he's a worker on the Massive. He told me that the Tallest have been killing off any irken that may become taller than them. And I'm one of their main priorities."

Flek sat up straighter, looking shocked. "What? The Tallest would never-"

"Yes they would. They love being Tallest. You think they'd want to give that up? But it'll be okay… Mico said I'll be assigned a bodyguard, so… I'll be fine. I'll just be very careful. And if I do grow to be taller than them… I guess I can take over, they won't be able to do anything then." Ariva sighed. "I hope it doesn't come to that… I can't lead our race, I don't know how…"

"I'm sure they'd tell you. Besides, the Control Brains handle most of the lawmaking and trials, and they regulate the police on our own planet. The Tallest mostly make speeches and tell everyone what they want to hear. And direct the military, of course."

Ariva didn't think that sounded like anything she'd like to do. "If I was Tallest, I wouldn't go around conquering everything. I would release all our territories, and let them be independent again. Then I would send ambassadors to restore a good relationship with them, and have allies instead of colonies."

"You'd hire me, right?" Flek joked.

"Of course. I'd send you to Vort, since you've spent the most time studying their economics and language."

"That'd be great."

They watched TV for a while, until they heard the cruiser pull up outside and turn off. A few moments later, Xyle came in, covered in grease as usual, and with a brand new burn across the side of his neck, but grinning.

"We sent out the last of the fighters today," he announced. "They were very pleased… we all got 1000 monies added to our bank accounts! So I'm take y'all out to eat to celebrate."

"Congrats, that's awesome," Flek said.

"Yeah, congrats!" Ariva agreed.

Xyle wiped his face off and looked at his gloves, then pulled them off. His hands were dirty too, so he said, "I'm going to take a shower so I can be beautiful again."

"All right, have fun," Flek replied.

Xyle headed to his room for a change of clothes, and then disappeared into the bathroom.

Ariva decided to change out of her work uniform and into something a little more comfortable. So she went to her room, quickly changing into black capris and a short-sleeved, plain blue t-shirt. Her uniform was left folded on the edge of the bed for tomorrow. Then she slung her purse over her shoulder and headed back out into the living room to wait for Xyle.

"So, are you going to tell Xyle about what that Mico guy told you?" Flek asked.

Ariva shrugged. "I probably will. He needs to know. You'll keep an eye out for me, right?"

"Absolutely. We won't let anything happen to you." He hugged her, and she smiled as she hugged him back.

"Thanks."

After a while, Flek said, "We should invite Lutz along."

"Good idea. When does she get off work?"

"You should call her and ask."

"All right." Ariva took out her headset and mentally accessed her PAK's communication center, ordering it to connect her to Lutz.

After a few seconds, she picked up. "Hey, Ariva."

"Hey. When are you getting off work?"

"I'm walking out of the building now."

"Well, Xyle got a bonus at his job and we were going to go out to eat. We were wondering if you would like to come along."

"Oh, sure. Where are you going?"

Ariva looked at Flek. "Where are we going to eat at?"

He shrugged. "Don't know yet. Just tell her to go back to her house, we'll pick her up and figure it out on the way."

Ariva repeated that to Lutz, who agreed.

"Okay, I'm getting in my cruiser, I'll be home in about ten minutes. See you soon."

"See you." Ariva ended the call. "We're picking her up, then. And I'll tell Xyle and her about what Mico said."

"All right. Let me go check on Xyle." Flek walked over to stand outside the bathroom door, knocking on it. "You almost done in there?"

"Don't rush me, I'll be out soon!"

Flek rolled his eyes. "Well as soon as you're done fantasizing, let's go."

"Shut up, I don't… go away!"

Laughing, Flek returned to the living room. The two talked while waiting, mostly about what restaurant they wanted to go to, until Xyle finally came out, now clean and with fresh clothes, though the burn on his neck was still shiny.

"You should probably put something on that," Flek suggested, gesturing to it.

Xyle gingerly touched it. "Eh… it's fine, it'll heal. So, we ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Also, we're picking up Lutz," Ariva informed him.

"Fine by me. Two sexy ladies are better than one." Xyle double-checked to make sure he had his wallet and keys, and then they walked out.

While the front door was being locked, Ariva yelled, "Shotgun!" and ran to get in the front passenger seat.

"Ooh, sorry Flek, looks like you have to ride in the back," Xyle teased.

Flek shrugged. "All right, then." He went to get in the back, and Xyle got in the driver's seat.

"Seatbelts," he said.

They all made sure they were buckled in.

"Now let's go get that violet-eyed beauty!" Xyle started the cruiser and pulled out onto the road. Lutz lived about a mile from them, so it didn't take very long to reach her house.

She was waiting for them. She was still wearing her nice blue outfit, with a purple diamond pattern on the blouse, which she was wearing on the weather channel.

As she got in the backseat next to Flek, Xyle said, "Looking good, girl. Oh, I'm sorry… _lady_."

"Thanks. I was out on the job for the first time today," she said happily, buckling in. "I was on TV!"

"Sweet Tallest, guys, we're sitting with a celebrity, y'all better behave." Xyle returned to the highway.

The mention of the Tallest reminded Ariva; she had to tell Xyle and Lutz about Mico's warning. "Hey, guys? I need to tell you something… and please, don't tell anyone else about this."

"What is it?" Lutz wondered.

Ariva took in a breath and began to explain. "You see, there is a dark conspiracy at work concerning the Almighty Tallest… and tall irkens. Like me…"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"That's so messed up!" Xyle ranted as he parked the cruiser outside Purple Tree, a somewhat popular local restaurant that served all kinds of exotic dishes.

"I know," Ariva muttered.

"And you were telling me that you suspected that, but at the time I didn't believe you," Lutz said regretfully.

Flek had stayed quiet during Ariva's story, having already heard it earlier, but now he spoke. "We will just have to be careful. We'll protect you, and you have that bodyguard… you'll be fine."

"I hope so."

They all got out, and once Xyle locked down the cruiser, they headed in. It was relatively crowded today, so they had to give one of their names and wait for a table.

Ariva kept an eye on the door, wondering if anyone coming in could be her bodyguard. She figured he'd probably be muscular, and probably big, like a bouncer.

She found herself wondering if that Captain Odri guy, who was one klik taller than her, was still alive. Most likely, a captain can probably take care of himself. But if they do manage to get rid of him… she'll be the next in line. The thought of that made her feel sick.

At one point, a few police officers came in, and she relaxed a little; nothing would happen with them around.

Ariva talked with her friends until a table opened up, and they followed their waitress over to it. When they were all seated, she gave them their menus and went to check on other customers.

"I haven't eaten here in forever," Lutz commented as she opened her menu.

The waitress was soon back for their drink orders, and then left again.

Meanwhile, the police officers were seated nearby. Two were discussing something Ariva couldn't make out from here, and the third was talking to someone on his walkie-talkie. Apparently the police never really quit working, even when on break.

By the time their drinks arrived, the four friends were ready to order their meals.

Despite Xyle's insistence that they order as expensive as they wanted, they all ended up choosing cheaper meals. Ariva just settled on a salad, though it did have a lot of different ingredients, so it was definitely a meal by itself.

Once their orders were placed, the waitress left to take them to the kitchen.

"You guys, I'm paying!" Xyle exclaimed. "You could have gotten a sixteen ounce steak!"

"I don't think any of us are that hungry," Lutz said. "I don't even like meat that much, I got the shredded tates with cheese on top."

"Well, I went all out," Xyle said. "Mine cost about twenty monies."

"DANG!"

"Yeah, I'm eating like a Tallest today! And there'll be plenty left for later."

"So Lutz, you think you're going to like your job?" Ariva asked.

"Oh, I love it already," Lutz replied. "I'm learning so much. I can't wait to start learning about the actual meteorology that goes into it, but hey, smeet steps."

"So how was work today, Ariva?" Flek said.

She grimaced. "A kid threw hot chocolate at me. He missed, but the mug broke and it spilled everywhere, so I had to clean that up. And while I was leaning down to pick up the pieces, some freak came up behind me and grabbed my butt."

"Did you hit him?"

"I wish I could've."

Lutz shook her head. "Ugh… men."

"I know, right? Savages," Xyle said, shaking his head and taking a drink.

"But it pays, and I can put away money for college, so I'll deal," Ariva said. "Flek, how's your studying going?"

"Very good, I think I've gotten the Meekrob figured out. But I'm having trouble getting hired. I'm barely an adult and inexperienced, plus I have no connections. The government doesn't really want me."

"No experience?" Xyle demanded. "You were number one on the school's debate club, and everyone knew you were the best at compromising and settling arguments!"

Flek shrugged. "Not good enough, I guess."

"Well, when I'm Tallest, I'll hire you," Ariva promised, smiling.

"Thanks."

"If you live that long," Xyle said.

Flek stomped on his foot underneath the table, making him hiss in pain. "Shut up!"

"Okay, sorry!" Xyle reaching down, cradling his foot.

"Just ignore him, he can be insensitive," Flek said.

"It's okay." Ariva looked around at the other customers. The nearby police officers were enjoying coffee and chatting. One was fiddling with his belt, seemingly attempting to tighten his gun holster to it. At another table, a couple was making goo-goo eyes at each other over their meals. At yet another, a man in a suit was typing something on his laptop in between bites. Nothing to worry about here, so she looked back at her friends.

Their food soon arrived, and they dug in.

"That's a lot of food," Flek said about Xyle's plate.

"I know," he said smugly, cutting into his fish.

"Ew…" Ariva muttered. "Seafood is gross."

"And unhealthy," Lutz added.

"Don't care," Xyle replied, taking a bite. "Hmm… not bad."

Ariva looked down at her plate. Ah, vegetables and fruits, with a sugary dressing… perfect. She speared in with her fork, pulling out a random clump and trying it. Mmm, nice and sweet.

They ate quietly for a while, occasionally offering each other some of their meals to try. Ariva found herself trying Xyle's fish… nope, still too gross. And it was a species native to the nearby planet Verilia, which tended to have bitter food. But she forced herself to swallow it, drinking nearly half of her soda to try to get rid of the taste.

As she was finishing her salad, she noticed one of the cops hold his walkie-talkie up to his antenna again, turning away from the others to respond quietly. His other hand reached down to grasp the handle of his gun, and she suddenly got a bad feeling.

Then he suddenly leapt up, yanking the handheld laser gun out of its holster, aiming and firing randomly around the restaurant, making the customers scream and scramble to hide under their tables, a few clutching wounds from where they had been sideswiped from the shots.

Then he rounded on Ariva's table, where they were already hiding, and shot at them too, before the other two cops recovered from their surprise and tackled him, knocking him into the table.

Ariva's hand automatically flew to her chest, shocked mind finally starting to feel pain, barely comprehending; she had been shot. Blood was running thick from between her shaking fingers.

Feeling faint, she crawled out from under the table, into the light where she could see better. A perfectly round hole went straight through the left side of her chest, and when she met the eyes of the crazed cop, he smirked and said, "Gotcha."

Ariva slumped back, barely noticing Lutz catch her, holding her close. "She was hit! Someone, call an ambulance, quick!"

Flek and Xyle crowded around her, waving their hands in front of her face.

"Try to stay awake!" Flek ordered. "Do you hear me? Do not fall asleep!"

Ariva tried to listen, but her vision was blurry, it hurt to breathe, and… sleep would be nice, actually. The pain would stop, probably.

Through hazy vision, she saw an irken run over to the cops, showing a badge of some sort to them, and helping to wrestle the gun away from the shooter. Then he ran over to Ariva, and in the back of her mind, she vaguely realized he must be her bodyguard. He gave her a helpless look, and she mumbled, "It's hard to stop a laser… I d-don't blame-" She started coughing, and blood came up; the laser had pierced her lung.

The sounds around her faded, and despite her best effort, she simply couldn't keep her eyes open. They fell shut, and her body went limp, everything going black and silent.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Beep.

…

Beep.

…clickclickclick

Beep.

"Ugh…" A soft groan slipped from Ariva's throat as she shifted. As she did, she felt mild weight on her arms, and dull pain flared in her chest. She kept her eyes closed, letting her antennae bring in sensory information.

There was beeping nearby, and the soft whoosh of air from what was most likely a vent above her. She could occasionally hear footsteps on tile, passing her but not stopping; people walking in a hallway. So she was probably in a room…

As for scent… she could smell antiseptic, and an overwhelming… well, cleanness. It was… sterile. Yeah, that's it.

She finally opened her eyes partway, looking around. She was alone, lying on a bed in a small room. On one side of the bed was a rack with machines and monitors on it, and she watched the spikes move evenly on one, until she finally realized it was her heartbeat. There were several wires and tubes attached to her from these machines.

As she woke up more, she began to remember what had happened. She was eating with her friends… and… and a police officer had started shooting up the place… and hit her!

She sat up, ignoring how it made her feel woozy, pulling out the collar of the white gown she was wearing, looking down at her chest. There was a patch over the laser wound, with a tube slipped under it. To release medicine into it, no doubt.

Breathing deeply, trying not to panic, she glanced out the window to her right. All she saw were buildings and sky; she was on an upper floor.

"Okay," she said to herself, licking her dry lips when her voice cracked and coughing a little. "I'm… in the hospital. That's better than being dead, but… oh, this is bad, the Tallest aren't playing around." She was positive they were behind that shooting. "I hope no one else got hurt."

She looked over to her left. There was a table there, and it had get-well cards, a vase of flowers, and a stuffed animal sitting on it. Trying to get used to the way the needles in her arms felt, she reached over to pick up the cards, putting them in her lap and going through them.

The first she opened was from Lutz.

_Hope you get better, we're all really worried! But they got that crazy cop. He wouldn't explain himself, but he'll be punished. You-know-who is probably behind this. Well, I'll probably come visit you soon, hopefully you're awake then. See you._

_~Lutz_

Ariva nodded. Yes… Lutz had the same thoughts as her. She looked at the next card, from Flek.

_ Ariva, if you're reading this, I hope you're okay. The doctors said you'll recover, but you're lucky that laser just missed your PAK. I'll come visit you and we can talk more then. Best wishes, Flek._

She sighed. So she'll recover. Good.

Xyle's card said much the same as the last two. And there were a few good wishes from acquaintances she went to school with, as well as coworkers.

She felt a little better after reading them, and put them back on the table. Not trusting her strength right now, she leaned over to read the label on the flowers. They were from her boss. How nice.

Finally, she picked up the stuffed animal. It was a bird. An ochiris. Her favorite animal… she checked the tag.

_ To Ariva, I hope you get better, dear. Love, Ellie._

She smiled widely, hugging it. Ellie was the elderly irken woman who raised her and several other irkens her age after they were released from their cloning tanks. They had lived in that facility and were given basic schooling there until their first year of Higher Academy, when they were mature enough to live in the dorms and take care of themselves. Though she hasn't seen Ellie in years, she still loved that nice old lady.

"Thanks," she whispered to the plushy, hugging it more tightly.

She rested back, gazing up at the ceiling. Hopefully someone would come in soon, she was getting bored. But it gave her time to think. Maybe she should tell someone what the Tallest were doing… but would they believe her?

She was a little resentful toward her bodyguard, but there was really nothing that could be done to stop gunfire. And he was just assigned recently… the attack came too fast to have any warning. Who would suspect a cop, after all?

Growing even more bored, she started looking around for some kind of button she could use to call in a nurse or doctor. She had to lean over and look at the side of the bed before finally finding a red button and pressing it.

She didn't have to wait long then; a lady in white scrubs came in, smiling at her. "Hey, you're awake, we were starting to wonder." She went to check on the monitors.

"How long was I out?" Ariva asked.

"About a day, but we had you under heavy sedation while working on that laser hole." The nurse wrote down some figures on her clipboard.

"Wow. But uh… I'll get better, right?"

"Of course. You'll be able to leave in a few weeks."

"Oh, good."

The nurse put the clipboard down, approaching the bed and leaning over her, tugging on her collar slightly. "Can you pull this down so I can check the wound?"

Ariva hunched her shoulders, pulling the gown down enough so the other could get to the patch.

"You may want to look away."

"No, I can handle it."

With a shrug, the nurse pulled the tube and patch away. The underside of it was covered in blood. Ariva stared at the indention in her skin. It wasn't a hole anymore, but it looked like a chunk had been scooped out, leaving behind exposed muscle and broken veins. Even as she watched, some fresh blood began trickling out.

The nurse worked quickly, dabbing at it with a soft piece of cloth coating with some sort of liquid, providing a pleasant tingling sensation. Then she carefully held the end of the tube against the wound, covering it with a fresh patch and helping Ariva pull her gown's collar back up to its proper place. "Well, that's healing nicely. But I'll need to check your lungs…"

She used a scanner for that, running it over Ariva's chest.

"Take in a deep breath."

Ariva did as told, then felt sudden pain and started coughing.

"Well, it's healing, at least." The nurse put the scanner aside, writing down more on her clipboard.

"Was anyone else hurt in the shooting?" Ariva asked.

"No one was killed, but a few were hospitalized. Others had minor injuries, but there will be no permanent damage for anyone."

"Oh, good." Ariva kept still while the other checked a few more things, then said, "Can I call my friends and tell them I'm awake?"

"Hmm… all right. And you're probably hungry, I'll bring you something to eat." The nurse left with her clipboard, and Ariva put on her headset, ordering her PAK to connect with Flek's.

He answered instantly. "Ariva! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. A little dizzy, but fine. I just wanted to tell you I'm awake."

"Okay, good. Listen, we're going to come visit you. Xyle! Ariva's awake, call Lutz and tell her! Hey, we'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay. I'll be here."

They ended the call, and Ariva rested back, looking at the wall across from her. There was a TV in here, but she didn't know where the remote was.

Back to being bored, then.

The nurse soon returned with a small plate of food, and Ariva sat up eagerly. A table was pulled out from the side of the bed and put over her, and the plate was set there, along with a can of soda.

The food wasn't too impressive… some kind of pasta with vegetables, and a cup of what seemed to be pudding, but whatever… she was hungry, so she started eating. Her nurse left her alone, no doubt off to tend to other patients.

As Ariva was trying the semi-sweet pudding of a flavor she couldn't identify, the door opened, and three familiar faces came in.

"Hey," she called to her friends.

"I'm so glad you're awake," Flek said, coming over to stand next to her. The other two came as close to the bed as they could.

"How do you feel?" Xyle asked, while Lutz gently brushed Ariva's antennae back and helpfully adjusted the sheet over her.

Ariva shrugged, taking a bite of pudding and putting it aside. "Well, I'm still alive, so I can't complain."

"They guy who shot you has been imprisoned," Lutz informed her. "They've been interrogating him, but he won't reveal his motives. But I think I have a pretty good idea who put him up to it…"

Ariva nodded. "The Tallest."

"Bastards," Flek muttered.

Xyle took Ariva's hand. "And another thing… don't panic, but… Captain Odri? The only guy between you and the Tallest? His crew's new weapons had a serious malfunction and killed several of them during training. Including him."

"What?!" Ariva found it hard not to panic at that. "When did this happen?"

"Well, the news reported it a few hours ago, but it takes a while to get news from Meekrob, so I don't know when it actually happened."

Ariva started to grab the edge of the bed. "I have to get out of here, I'm next!"

"Heart rate's rising," Lutz said worriedly, watching the heart monitor.

Flek and Xyle forced her to lie back again.

"Easy… you're safe here," Flek said.

"Safe?! I'm lying in a hospital bed, they can easily finish me off!" she shouted. "Put poison in my IV, give me a euthanizing pill with my medicine, or… something!"

"Calm down. You have to keep your heart rate down, or a nurse will be running in," Lutz said, petting Ariva's antennae. A bold move, but it worked. She relaxed, and the spikes on the heart rate monitor returned to normal.

"Good girl," Xyle said, laughing a little.

"Shut up, Xyle." Ariva didn't normally snap, but after all this, she was in a bad mood. She picked at some noodles left on her plate, trying to distract herself.

Her nurse ran in, just as expected. Ariva finally decided to look at her nametag. Saphi.

"What's going on? Your heart rate spiked," Saphi said.

"It's okay, she was just happy to see us," Flek lied.

"But…" Xyle started, before Flek elbowed him. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, she's just happy. But her heart rate's normal now, see?" He pointed at the monitor.

"Okay, but Ariva… be careful." Saphi started to leave, but Ariva called her back.

"I have a kinda crazy request…"

"What is it?"

"Do you think a poor, injured shooting victim could request an audience with… the Almighty Tallest?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Saphi found that request odd, but said she'll see what she could do.

Ariva's friends thought she was crazy, but she had made up her mind; she was confronting Red and Purple.

After a while, the other three decided to go, promising they'll come visit her again tomorrow.

Alone again, Ariva finished her meal and finally found the remote to the TV, watching the science channel while drinking her soda. Might as well get used to being here, since it will be a few weeks…

Days passed without much to note. Ariva was relieved when they started letting her walk again, and she could go to and from the bathroom on her own. She started spending time sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room, watching TV or reading books that she had brought to her from home. And her laptop was here, so she could entertain herself with it. Wasn't much else to do…

Then one afternoon, about a week after being admitted to the hospital, she got the visitors she had been both expecting and dreading.

The door opened, and instead of nurse Saphi or her friends, two tall irkens, one in armor of red and black, other in shades of purple, entered.

Ariva was in the chair, resting back as she read a physics book, but immediately sat up when they entered. "My Tallest." She stood, a hand grasping the rack of equipment still attached to her, pulling it along as she approached the two.

They regarded her silently, obviously put off by the fact that they didn't have to look down at her.

Then Red spoke. "So… Ariva, is it?"

"Yes."

"You wanted to see us? Usually we wouldn't respond to this kind of request, since so many people ask to see us on a daily basis, but considering your status… we decided to make an exception."

"I'm glad you're here. I'm going to get right to the point." Ariva looked Red in the eye. "You've been trying to kill me."

"Kill you?" Purple asked. "You must be on something, we aren't murderers."

"You've killed plenty of people! I know you've been killing off tall irkens, don't deny it! General Gloog, Captain Odri… and now me. If I grow just a little more, I'll pass you, and you'll have to step down." Ariva noted how tense they grew. "I'm not stupid, my Tallest. The truck? The assassin? That 'crazy' cop? You're behind all of it. You want my death to look an accident. But I'm on to you, and I'm not the only one who knows."

Red gave her a blank look. "So, you figured it out. No point trying to hide it, then. Yes, we are very reluctant to step down. We've gotten so much accomplished, and we still have plans. So competition like you must be eliminated. Nothing personal."

The two moved closer, and Ariva backed up, PAK legs extending out and arcing in front of her protectively. "Don't make me…"

"Make you what?" Purple laughed. "You're just a girl, barely into adulthood, with purely scientific knowledge. We were soldiers! We're far older than you and more experienced. We still know how to fight."

"Surely you don't think you can get away with personally killing me," Ariva argued. "Even you aren't above the law!"

"Ah, but it'll be easy," Red replied. "We could easily kill you and tell the doctors you attacked us, and we acted in self defense. If you're dead, you won't be able to argue otherwise."

They came even closer, and Ariva kept backing up, pulling her equipment, groaning at how it slowed her down. Then her back hit the window.

"Stay back!" she shouted, trying not to show fear. "I mean it, you… you murderers!"

"Never should have called us here," Purple said. The two extended their own, much sharper PAK legs.

Ariva looked over her shoulder. She was on the fourth floor, and far below her window was a hedge. Maybe…

"In your condition, jumping would probably kill you," Red said, guessing at what she was thinking.

Ariva narrowed her eyes. "Then good luck explaining this." She yanked the tubes out of her skin, flinching in pain, but not stopping until they were all out. Then she turned her PAK legs backward, breaking the window. "No, my Tallest, don't push me!" she screamed as loud as she could before leaping out, where the scream turned genuine as she tumbled down, faster than she had expected.

Red tried to grab her, but missed. "Damn it! Quick, let's get out of here!" They rushed for the door.

"She's a maniac!" Purple exclaimed, following him.

Ariva tried to align herself with the hedge below; it was shorter than she had thought. This wasn't good, what was she think-

"Aaagh!" The impact knocked the breath out of her, and vision nearly went black as she sank partway into the bush and then fell off of it, its branches scratching her through the thin hospital gown.

Arms around her middle, she blindly half-ran, half-limped away, breathing heavily. Her entire body ached, and when she opened her eyes, everything blurred.

She looked around. There were buildings back here, joined to the hospital. Labs and extra rooms, most likely. She headed past them. A road. Of course. No doubt everyone would be staring at her from their vehicles. She stumbled over to the side, waving desperately.

A small cruiser pulled off the road, and the driver rolled down the passenger window. "You all right, m'am?"

"No, I'm not," Ariva said, coughing a little. "I need to get away from the hospital, quick. Someone's trying to kill me."

He frowned. "Which ward did you come from…?"

"I jumped out of a regular room, I was recovering from the Purple Tree shooting! I'm not a mental patient, now let me in, I'll explain on the way!"

He shook his head but opened the door. She climbed in, closing it and locking it. "Now can we go, please?"

"All right…" He drove back onto the road, soon merging in with the other vehicles, and Ariva sighed.

"Thank you. I almost died." She held out her arms. They were covered in scratches and scrapes from the hedge, and her gown was torn from the glass still left in the window when she jumped out.

"So you were in that shooting? You're lucky to be alive."

"Yeah, I am." Ariva drew her knees up to her chest, shaking.

"I'm Rik, by the way."

"I'm Ariva." She sighed, looking out the window. Now what? It wouldn't be safe to go home… they'll probably look for her there. She didn't want to endanger Flek and Xyle. Same for Lutz's house… and perhaps even her old smeetery.

"You're very tall, miss. Who'd be trying to hurt you?" Rik asked.

"Someone even taller, who doesn't want me replacing them," she replied.

"The Tallest?"

"Yeah. It's a long story, I don't want to talk about it."

"I understand. Do you want me to take you anywhere? I was just heading home, but I'm in no hurry."

She shook her head. "There's nowhere really safe for me… I just want to get away from the hospital."

"I can do that, my house is an hour away. If you think of anywhere, though, tell me."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Ariva looked out the window, listening to the quiet music coming from the radio. She wished she knew where to go, but for now, she was safe. And if only she hadn't had to leave behind her laptop, but… she valued her life more than it.

After a few minutes, her PAK suddenly alerted her to an incoming call without a name, but with a familiar ID. She put on her headset, answering it. "Hello?"

"Ariva, are you safe?" Mico asked urgently.

"Yes, I'm in a car, heading away from the city. I had to escape, the Tallest tried to kill me themselves."

"We didn't think their decision to visit you was innocent… this is worse than we thought. We need to protect you. Listen closely. The Massive is currently over Irk. The Tallest are looking for you, but will return in half an hour. The Massive will depart in an hour. It's our new responsibility to get you on it."

"Why would I want to be on the Massive? That's where _they _live!" Ariva demanded, while Rik cast her a concerned look.

"Exactly. It's the last place they'll think to look for you."

"I guess so, but…"

"Tell your driver to exit ahead."

Ariva looked at Rik. "Can you exit here? I've got a… friend who will take care of me."

"All right." Rik pulled off of the main road and onto a smaller one.

Mico directed, "Make a left at the intersection after the next."

Ariva repeated it, and Rik did as told.

After a few minutes, they were told to stop next to an old airfield that looked like it hadn't been used for years.

"I'll meet you out at the first runway. Walk swiftly," Mico said, then hung up.

"I guess this is it." Ariva opened the door, and then turned to Rik. "Thank you so much for your help."

"You're welcome. Good luck, and I really look forward to seeing you as the Almighty Tallest. I'm sure you'd be a great leader."

"Yeah. If I live that long." Ariva climbed out of the car, stumbling a little; she still ached from that jump, and she was no longer being medicated, so she had a feeling she'll be hurting more later. But she began walking onto the airfield.

Mico came into view, walking out to meet her. "Are you all right?"

"A little achy, but I can walk."

"Good. Let's get to the cruiser."

They went to get into a small, two-person cruiser. Once inside, Mico turned it on, lifting it into the air and flying up through the atmosphere.

"There are clothes for you in a bag under the seat. They should fit."

"Thanks."

"Now from this point on, we'll take care of you. Is that suitable?"

"Yes. Just keep me safe."

"Of course."

Ariva really hoped they could.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

By the time they docked with the Massive, Ariva had changed out of the hospital gown and into dark blue pants, a long-sleeved lilac shirt, and plain black shoes.

She had checked on her wound; it was looking a lot better, but still hurt when she touched it. She'll just have to make sure she keeps it clean and covered.

She sat up as the cruiser parked inside a huge bay filled with similar cruisers.

Mico looked around. "The Tallest aren't back yet. Their personal ship parks there." He pointed at a raised pedestal, which currently had nothing on it. "But they'll be back soon. Let's move."

They headed for the entrance to the rest of the Massive. A guard was waiting, and Ariva started to get nervous, but Mico said, "He's on our side. He won't tell anyone you're here, not even the Tallest."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely. He hates them and would much rather see you in their place."

They striped at the door, and Mico handed over a card. The guard swiped it across a device he was holding, then handed it back. "Welcome back." Then he looked up at Ariva and smiled, nodding. "And welcome, Taller Ariva. I eagerly await the day when your height exceeds that of Red and Purple, and you can replace them."

"Thanks. I'll try not to get run over, assassinated, or shot until then," Ariva replied.

"We'll do everything we can to keep you safe," he promised, then let them through.

Mico led Ariva through discrete hallways, where they passed very few people.

"We're taking you to a technician who will temporarily disable the tracking device in your PAK. All of us have one, and someone with the right equipment can track down anyone using it. That's how the Tallest have known exactly where you are. But if we turn off the signal, you'll be untraceable. Hopefully, they'll think you ran off and died somewhere."

"Okay, do what you must. But can I call my friends?"

"Too risky. We'll make sure they're informed, but right now, it's too dangerous for you to call anyone."

Ariva didn't like that, but she understood his reasoning. "Okay."

After five minutes of walking, they entered a decent-sized room with banks of computers and other equipment. A group of about a dozen irkens in assorted uniforms came to meet them.

"Taller Ariva," a female with bright blue eyes said, shaking her hand. "It's such an honor to meet you."

"Oh, thanks." Ariva knelt down, making herself more level with the others as they each came to greet her. Many told her how much they couldn't wait to see her as the Tallest. She was even asked for a hug from one or two of them, which she gave.

Mico stood by and watched, nodding a little in approval. "She'll make a fine leader…"

Spotting someone standing near the back, Ariva stood up, trying to see him more clearly. Then she realized who he was. "Hey, you're my bodyguard. I saw you at the restaurant before I fainted."

He didn't look at her, instead sighing. "And I failed you. I had just been assigned to you that day, and I let that happen."

She walked over to him. "Hey, it's okay. What could you have done? It happened so quickly, and you can't really stop a laser…"

"I suppose. Still, I feel there was something I could have done…"

"It's in the past. And look, I'm okay now. So don't worry about it."

"As you wish, Taller Ariva."

She leaned down to hug him briefly, and then returned to Mico. "Okay, so where's this technician you told me about?"

"Right here," a female voice said. An irken of medium height, with red-violet eyes and long antennae, stepped forward. She held out her hand. "Jen, at your service."

Ariva shook her hand. "So… you're going to disable something in my PAK?"

"Yes. It shouldn't take long, and can be easily reversed. There will be no other effect. You'll simply become untraceable."

"All right, then. Let's get this over with."

"I'm going to head back to the bridge," Mico said. "The Tallest will be back any minute and I don't want to be absent."

"Good idea," another irken said. One by one, they all departed, until only Ariva, Jen, and the bodyguard remained.

He explained, "I'm a guard for the prison sector, but it's not my shift. So I'll stay here."

Ariva nodded, and Jen pulled over a stool. "Sit down."

She did, and Jen pulled on rubber gloves before picking up a few tools from a table, and then moved around behind her.

"This won't hurt, will it?" Ariva asked.

"No, but it may feel odd. Just stay calm. Can you open your PAK for me?"

Ariva ordered her PAK to open. With a click, the outer shell slid up, exposing the machinery inside.

"All right…" Jen used her gloved fingers to carefully sort through it. "You're a civilian, so your PAK is simpler than a soldier's. Basic legs… no universal translator or atmospheric processor. Of course, they can easily be installed. Hmm…"

Ariva could vaguely sense the movements of the other's fingers, as the circuits in her PAK sent electrical messages directly into the nerves of her back. But she didn't let it bother her. This was for her own good.

"Ah, found it." Jen used a thin metal tool to detach the wires from the chip. "Did that hurt?"

Ariva shook her head. "No, but it tingled a little."

"That's normal. Hold still, I'm almost done. There should be a switch here… ah, found it."

There was a click that she felt rather than heard.

"That should do it, you should no longer be putting out a traceable signal. But I'll check." Jen walked over to one of the computers. She already knew Ariva's ID, and entered it into a program after giving a complex password.

After several moments, a message appeared: Subject Not Found

Jen sighed in relief. "Well, it worked. If the Tallest try to find you, they'll get this message. They'll assume you're either thousands of light-years away, or dead, which is more likely."

"Now what?" Ariva asked, standing up and closing her PAK.

The bodyguard answered. "We have a place for you to stay, in some unused advisor's quarters. The Tallest have very few advisors, so there's plenty of room, and hardly anyone goes down that way. There are cameras inside, but we disabled them."

"So I can just stay in the room?"

"Yes, we'll have food and drinks brought to you, and we've already stocked it with clothes and toiletries."

Ariva wasn't too keen on being stuck in living quarters for an indefinite amount of time, but she was also not keen on being killed.

"All right, I guess that's okay… do you think you could find a way to bring me my books and laptop from home?"

"We'll do what we can. Follow me, please." He led the way out.

Ariva called a thank you to Jen before following.

Noticing cameras every so often, Ariva said, "Is anyone watching through those?"

"Those cameras? Nah. Not much happens down this hallway, they very rarely tune in to these cameras. They mostly watch the bridge, the halls that lead to the Tallest's quarters, the many docking and loading bays, and the prison sector."

"Okay. Because I don't want to be seen and reported to the Tallest."

"Trust me, you're safe." After a few minutes of walking, he asked, "How's your chest?"

"Hmm? Oh." Ariva glanced down, though the patch was covered by her shirt. There was an ache earlier, but she was used to it by now. "It's healing. It hurts to take deep breaths, but other than that, I'm fine."

"We'll have a medic check on you every so often. Would you like someone to bring you painkiller?"

"Yes, I might need it."

"We'll have it brought to you with your dinner in a few hours."

"Sounds good."

They stopped outside a door that looked no different from the others in the hallway. The bodyguard opened the door and let her in. "Well, this is the living room. Small, but there's a couch and TV. No kitchen, all crew members eat in the cafeteria, but like I said, we'll bring you food. There's a bathroom over there, with a shower. You can put clothes down this chute and they'll be cleaned and returned to this cabinet." He gestured. "They don't check to make sure the rooms are official inhabited, they just do their job." He pointed to a door. "And over there is the bedroom. The bed's made and the dresser has clothes. There's a desk, which you can use if we manage to obtain your laptop. And… that's about it."

"All right." Ariva went to sit down on the couch.

The male started to go, and then paused, putting on his communications headset. "Yes?" He listened for several moments. "Ah, very well. I'll tell her." He put it away. "Your friends have been notified of your location. They're worried but have promised not to contact you until it's safe, the Tallest have already tried to get information out of them, but they kept quiet. They're all okay and wish you well."

She nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

"I must go. See you, Taller Ariva."

"See you."

He left, closing the door behind him, and Ariva flopped back on the couch. She knew it was for her own good, but she just knew she was going to be very bored here…


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Days passed without much distinction. Ariva was brought food every so often, and sometimes was given medicine by a medic. She was soon completely healed other than a round scar, but she didn't feel much better. She couldn't leave the room, and she couldn't contact her friends.

Luckily, she was brought several of her books, so at least she could study. Even if it seemed she may just replace the Tallest one day, and have no need to become a scientist.

She started marking her height on the wall in the bedroom. She's grown maybe a quarter of a klik since she last checked her height with the Control Brains all those weeks ago. It seemed like her school days were forever ago.

Then one day, Mico came with a proposition for her.

"Challenge them to a duel?" she demanded. "Are you crazy? They're way older than me, they had military training, I wouldn't stand a chance."

"But they're arrogant. They're sure no one would challenge them, so they've grown lazy. They don't exercise. They have very little muscle mass. With the right training, you could beat them."

"Nonsense." She stared resolutely at the TV, but was barely seeing it.

"Unless you want to wait a year to grow taller, it may be your only choice. You are in a very unique position. You are the next tallest besides them. If you wanted, you could kill them, and by ancient custom, you'll replace them with no legal repercussions."

"And if I lose?"

"Well… they'd probably kill you."

"Wonderful."

Mico sighed. "Well, if you change your mind…" He gave her a device that looked like a wristband. "Activate this. It'll turn you invisible. Then follow these instructions to this room at any of these times." He gave her a sheet of paper. "There will be someone there to train you. Traditional duels between the Tallest and a challenge may use a single weapon of your choosing, and natural weapons like your claws and teeth. No PAK weapons, no guns… clubs, swords, older weapons."

"Hmm… Okay." Ariva put on the wristband and tossed the instructions onto the table in front of the couch. She might look into it. Maybe.

"Just think about it. It may be necessary." Mico left.

Ariva sighed. He was right, it would take her a long time to grow to the Tallest's height. She's an adult, she doubted she had much growth left.

But she wasn't a killer! She can't even step on an insect without feeling guilty!

She picked up the TV remote. She'll think about this later… she switched to a news station, and was startled to see a picture of herself in the corner of the screen.

"…disappeared from Ryon Hospital about two weeks ago," a reporter was saying. "Cameras in the room mysteriously went offline for several minutes up until the disappearance. The Almighty Tallest have been reported as visiting her that day, but declined to comment on this. Witnesses say they saw her leap from her fourth story room and run for the highway, hitching a ride in an unidentified vehicle. If anyone has any information regarding Ariva, contact us at this number."

A number appeared across the bottom of the screen, and Ariva muted the TV. They were looking for her. Of course. A tall, intelligent irken like her jumps out a window and runs off? Makes sense they they'll be looking for her. Hopefully her friends will keep quiet. The Tallest do not need to know where she is.

She turned the volume back up and changed the channel, eventually settling on a documentary on the history channel. This'll do.

…At least, it did for a while. Her thoughts then returned to the Tallest, and what Mico had told her. She looked down at the wristband, and then picked up the instructions to the training room. The next time was in about half an hour.

…

Ariva turned off the TV and got up, pressing the button on the wristband. It beeped, and then suddenly disappeared from view, along with her arm. When she looked down, she couldn't see herself. When she picked up the paper, it disappeared too.

This might be a problem…

She put it down, and when it reappeared, she tried to memorize as many lines as possible. Then she grabbed it and ran out into the hall, closing the door and going in the right direction.

The Massive certainly lived up to its name. This was taking her a while. She had to stop and kneel down, putting the paper down. She read the next instructions quickly, and then continued before anyone could wonder why a random piece of paper was lying on the floor.

Eventually, she reached the room, looked around to make sure no one was looking, and slipped in.

The room was large, with assorted weapons hanging from racks all around the room, mats in the corner, exercise equipment, and targets and stuffed dummies.

A buff, male irken was sitting on a crate, filing his claws with a knife. Or perhaps he was sharpening them. He was missing one of his antennae, and his eye on that side was milky. When she snuck closer, she saw that the entire left side of his face had been burnt. But his intact eye was a startling shade of emerald green, and snapped up to look right at her.

"Turn off that cloaking device, it may turn you invisible, but it doesn't keep me from hearing you," he ordered in a gravely voice.

Ariva fumbled with the invisible device before managing to find the button, turning it off. She shimmered back into view.

The man looked her over with an unimpressed expression. "Well, you're tall, I'll give you that. But awfully skinny… not much muscle on you. We'll need to fix that." He returned his knife to its sheath.

"So… I guess you're my trainer?"

"I suppose so." He got up, walking over to examine a rack of spears hanging over several heavy-looking sacks. "Very few people appreciate short range weapons. Everyone wants laser guns. They want high-powered rifles, and cannons. They don't realize just how useful a dagger can be when someone's pinning you down."

Ariva unconsciously touched the scar on the side of her head.

"I'll teach you how to use traditional weapons. Then, maybe you'll stand a chance when you duel the Tallest."

"Yeah, about that…"

The man suddenly grabbed one of the sacks and threw it at her.

Before Ariva could even lift her hands, it slammed into her chest, knocking her flat on her back.

She cried out as her head and PAK hit the floor, sending messages of pain through her body, and she coughed, trying to recover the air that had been knocked out of her.

"Reflexes are slow. We'll work on that." He walked over to her, nudging the sack off her with the tip of his boot. "Get up."

"Are you trying to kill me?" she demanded, getting up and holding her chest. The old laser wound was hurting now.

"I'm just trying to get an idea of what I have to work with." He circled her.

"So, uh… what's your name?" Ariva asked, already deciding that this guy was going to be strict.

"My rank is unimportant, but you can call me Jar."

"All right… my name is-"

"Ariva 238. Friends probably call you Ariva. I'll be calling you whatever I feel like." He stopped in front of her. "So, are you ready to train?"

"I'm still not sure I want to do this. I'm not a killer."

"No one's born a killer. It's something you must learn. You just have to look at the Tallest and realize that unless you kill them, they'll kill you. You have to push aside any fear or regret and just strike."

"I don't know…"

"When the time comes, you'll make a decision." Jar rubbed his hands together. "All right, to business. You still want to train?"

"Well… it'll give me something to do, I suppose."

"Good. We have an hour. First of all, you need to build some muscle. And we'll improve your agility, you'll need to move fast. The Tallest may be out of practice, but they still have their old military training. Follow me."

He led her over to a weight bench, motioning for her to lie down. She did, though most of her legs hung over the end.

"How much can you lift?" he asked.

She tried to think back to her last physical education class. "Um… about a hundred pounds, I think."

"Sad, whelp. That's sad, but we have to start somewhere." Jar attached weights to the bars. "There, that's exactly one hundred. Let's see how you handle it."

Ariva reached up to grab it, taking in a breath before lifting it up and bringing it down to her chest. Heavy, but… she could handle it.

She did ten reps, paused for breath, and continued. She assumed he would tell her when to stop, so she wouldn't until then.

But he said nothing, just silently observing her.

Ariva's arms began to shake, muscles aching. She wanted to put the bar back and take a breath, but was worried that Jar would insult her.

Finally, the ache turned into more of a pained scream, and with a groan, she lifted the bar higher and returned it to its stand, sitting up and messaging her arms.

"124… Well, at least you're determined. But we have a lot of work to do."

Ariva sighed. That was what she was afraid of.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Over time, Ariva got into a schedule of going to train with Jar every other day. He focused on building her strength for a while, and wasn't satisfied until she could bench press 180 pounds without having to struggle. He told her to exercise on her own time with the dumbbells he had sent to her room, then moved on to agility and endurance training.

"You'll have to move quickly during the duel, and it may take a very long time. You don't want to get the upper hand only to faint from exhaustion," he explained before making her run laps around the room, having to jump over and weave around obstacles.

Whenever she tried to slow to a walk, she was yelled at, so she soon stopped doing that. She would run until she simply fell onto the hard floor, leg muscles refusing to continue.

In that event, Jar would go pick her up, supporting her so she could finish the lap, then go sit her down with a bottle of water and criticize her performance. But apparently she was improving.

About a month after starting training, Jar decided Ariva was ready to learn hand-to-hand combat techniques.

She was incredibly nervous as they stood facing each other, on a mat that had been laid down. In case she was knocked out, hitting the floor wouldn't damage her as much. That didn't reassure her much.

"Let's see how you react to an attack," Jar said, and then leapt at her.

She hadn't expected the sudden attack; he was fast. She raised her arms to grab him, claws digging into his uniform, but couldn't halt him. His legs swept under hers, and before she knew it, she was on her back on the ground, his foot on her chest to hold her down.

"Hmmph. Weak. Get up, we'll try again." He lifted his foot, and she got up.

They went again, more slowly this time; he would teach her defensive moves first, and then counterstrikes.

After a while, she learned how to defend, and when he swung his fist at her, she was able to grab his wrist and spin, yanking his arm behind him and pulling it into a painful angle, wrapping her other arm around him to try to keep his other arm pinned to his side.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Well, you seem to have that move figured out. But…" He flexed his arms and broke away, spinning and delivering a firm kick to her stomach, and she met the surface of the mat yet again. "It's only useful if you're strong enough to maintain it."

Aware of how much of her body was aching, Ariva stumbled back up. "I've been working out, I'm strong."

"Good to hear. Keep working out. Now, I'd like to teach you some good offensive moves."

"I'm hungry."

"We can have lunch after this. I need to teach you how to put those claws of yours to good use. We have natural weapons, we need to use them."

Jar had her practice various punching and slashing moves on the straw dummies and simply watched, occasionally offering advice.

She was tired, but she managed to reduce the face of one of them to shreds, and took a moment to just stare at her claws. She hadn't known they could be so dangerous.

"Are you still hungry?" Jar called. "I have sandwiches and water."

"Yeah, I'll be right over." Ariva kept looking at the dummy, imagining it was one of the Tallest, and a sudden grief and rage came over her. They almost killed her, they made her have to go into hiding, they've kept her from seeing her friends…

With a growl, she punched its mutilated face as hard as she could, and it hit the ground. She jumped down after it, punching and tearing without thought, until the head came off completely. She kicked it across the room and walked over to Jar, panting and picking up a bottle of water.

"Enjoy your little tantrum?" he asked.

She grunted and took a drink.

"Well then, you need to channel that kind of energy into your training, don't you?"

"I'll try." Ariva sat next to him on the crate, picking up a sandwich and unwrapping it, taking a bite.

"You will. We're hoping you'll be able to face the Tallest in another month or so. You'll need to do to them what you did to that dummy."

She sighed. She had come to terms with the fact that she'll have to fight with them, but wasn't looking forward to it. "Let me guess, I still have a lot to learn, right?"

"Yes. You learn fast, cadet." Jar checked the time. "Well, I need to go drill our fleet commanders in twenty minutes. I think we're done for today." He stood up and went to start tidying up the room. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." When she finished her sandwich, Ariva stood up, tucking her water bottle and a second sandwich for later under her arm. "I'm going back to my room."

"Bye."

She activated her cloaking device, then headed out. By now, she had memorized the way to and from her room, but it still amazed her just how bit this ship was.

She stopped next to a window and looked out. Stars and pure, inky blackness in every direction. She looked toward the rear of the Massive and could just barely see the fleet of ships that followed it, always ready to defend its flagship from enemies, or go obliterate the life on any planets they find, and make them into something irkens can use.

She kept walking.

When she eventually reached her room, she slipped in, trying to open the door as little as possible, since someone was leaving a nearby room. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice, and she quietly closed the door behind her.

A plate of food had been left for her on the coffee table, and she went to investigate it after turning off her cloaking device. It smelled good, and she was still a little hungry, so she sat down and started eating.

After a while, she turned on the TV to cartoons. She needed to relax a bit. Oh, this used to air when she was young, she loved this show. It was about talking iskreets that always got up to mischief. This show was always highly amusing.

She finished off her sandwich while watching it. She wasn't sure what she would do for the rest of the day. Well, technically, there were no days or nights on the Massive, since it's in space, but all the clocks and calendars are synced with the Capital City back on Irk. It would be about seven more hours until her usual 'bedtime.' She'll probably watch TV for a while, then go read. And if she feels up to it, she'll exercise with her dumbbells. By now, she could lift most of them pretty easily. Jar had been pleased about that, and he's usually hard to please.

All her food was gone by the time this episode was over, and she went to dump the plastic wrap and disposable tray down a chute to the incinerator deep in the bowels of the ship. When her water was gone, she threw the bottle away too and returned to the couch in time for another episode.

All right, a few more, then she promised herself she'll get serious.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Ariva was kinda glad she was a fast learner, because she was able to learn the moves Jar showed her relatively quickly. Though she found herself on the floor under his boot more often than she'd like to admit.

Then one day, they started a new type of training; with weapons.

"Take your pick," Jar said, motioning to the walls.

Ariva walked around, looking at the different weapons. She weighed some daggers, but didn't like them, so she moved on. A mace? No, that's a little too old-fashioned.

Finally, she took down a sword with a shiny, silvery blade and a pommel with a ruby set in it. She gave it an experimental swing. Hmm. Yes, this will work.

"That's a fine sword," Jar said when she returned to him. "Tyrule craftsmanship, seized when we conquered them about five years ago. A quick but dangerous weapon if used correctly. You want to use it?"

"Yes."

"Very well." Jar went to pick up two thick sticks that were about the length of the sword, handing her one. "We'll practice with these, don't want anyone getting gutted."

Ariva put the sword down. "Good point."

Jar instructed her in the proper hand placement and stance, and then stood across from her, raising his own stick. "First, I'll teach you to block." He swung, and Ariva swung to try and block, but with a twist, he disarmed her and jabbed the end of the stick into her throat. "You're dead." He lowered it. "Try again."

She picked up her stick, rubbing her throat.

"Swing at me, I'll show you what to do," he ordered.

That sounded good to her. She grasped the branch and swung it as hard as she could, aiming for Jar's side.

He swiftly lifted his makeshift weapon, tilting it to receive the blow.

Ariva felt a jolt go up her arms at the impact. She withdrew before trying to strike at his other side. He blocked that too.

"See? Simple. Now you try."

Ariva started to redouble her grip, and then he struck her in the side before she could prepare.

"OW!" She stumbled, and he hit her shoulder on the opposite side, and she fell to the floor. Oh, we meet again.

"You need-"

"Lots of work," Ariva muttered with him, slowly standing up again and raising her stick to the right position. "I know."

"You've come pretty far already. You would have made a great soldier. You learn fast and you don't give up."

Jar rarely gave out compliments, so Ariva smiled as she stood in front of him once more. "Thanks. I don't like giving up."

"Good. Now block." He swung, but a little more slowly. This time, Ariva was able to block it. Her arms shook, and she tried to push him back.

"That was almost right." He separated. Then he showed her exactly how it should be executed. "See? Do it like that."

They spent the rest of practice on blocking; Jar wanted to make sure she got it. But he promised they'll start on attacks and parrying tomorrow.

The sword had to be left in the room, but she'll be able to practice with it on the straw dummies in a few days, to get a feel for it. She thought about the Tallest while she walked back to her room. She thought about them a lot. Could she really fight with them? She's learned a lot, and was faster and stronger than she was when she first came here, but could she go through with this?

She didn't have much choice… she was still a klik shorter than the Tallest, and she won't grow much more unless she hits a growth spurt, but at this age, she doubted that will happen. No, she'll have to face them.

Luckily, they won't expect her; Mico had told her a few weeks ago that they had decided she must be dead, since they couldn't find her PAK signal and no one's seen her. So she'll have the element of surprise.

And he had given her news about her friends. Flek had taken up her job at the coffee shop to help pay for bills, and Xyle had recently gotten a promotion at the warship company, and was working with more advanced equipment. Lutz was interning at the weather station to learn about meteorology, but until they deemed her ready and promoted her, she would remain a reporter.

Ariva was just glad they were okay. The Tallest haven't hurt them for information.

When she reached the hallway with her room down it, she stopped and stood still despite being invisible; two advisors were chatting near her room. She snuck closer, listening in.

"…I don't like that they're killing people, but what can we do? We're kinda tall, they might just get rid of us too if we speak out against them."

"But they listen to us better than anyone else. We can bring it up…"

"They're still mad about that Ariva chick getting away. Even if she's dead, she made it seem like they pushed her out the window. It took a lot of explaining to get out of that one…"

"And surely they don't want to get into another situation like that. Let's just talk to them."

"Fine, but if we get thrown out an airlock, I'm choking you so you die first." He walked away.

The other kept standing there, looking at the door to Ariva's room.

She figured he was on Mico's side, so she turned off her invisibility device.

The advisor turned to her as she flickered into view. "Oh, Ariva. How are you?"

"Fine. So, trying to convince the Tallest to stop whacking people?"

"Yes, but none of my fellow advisors want anything to do with the conspiracy. We're counting on you to… do what you need to do to become Tallest."

She sighed. "I've been training. I'll… deal with them if I must."

"Good. We really need someone new to take over, those two are mad with power." He checked his watch. "You should go, we're changing shifts, more of us will be coming through here."

"Good idea." Ariva said goodbye and slipped into her room. As usual, lunch was waiting, and she went to eat. She was thinking about returning to train with Jar later. Hopefully he'll be there.

The sooner she could defeat the Tallest, the better.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Eyes narrowed in concentration, Ariva lifted the sword, the hand placement coming easily to her now, after weeks of practice.

Jar was holding a stopwatch, and standing around him to observe, were Mico and a few members of his group.

"And… go!" Jar shouted, clicking the button on the stopwatch.

Ariva took off running. She weaved between poles, and when she got through them, a straw dummy was launched at her. She ducked to the side and stabbed her sword up into its 'gut'. Straw showered her, and she threw it aside. She kept running, slicing the heads and limbs off the ones lining either side of the path.

She jumped over a stack of sacks and promptly had the sword knocked out of her hands by a training robot. Then it threw a punch at her. She grabbed its metal arm, digging her heels into the ground to brace herself as she swung it around and let go, sending it flying into a wall.

Assuming she was supposed to use hand to hand combat at this part, she ran after it, and the two engaged in a vicious flurry of punches and kicks.

Ariva hissed in displeasure when it caught one of her antennae, and drove all six of her claws into its 'face', dragging them through the metal with a high-pitched scraping sound.

Its pincers came up to grab her sides, pushing her away and landing a painful punch to her face.

With a growl, she tackled it, slamming it to the floor and continuing to grapple.

Finally, she managed to 'wound' it enough that it shut down, and she got up with what she was sure was a black eye, retrieved her sword, and ran down the final stretch of the course. Heavy sacks were thrown at her from all angles. Some she knocked aside with her sword, and others she merely dodged.

As she got closer to Jar, she started to let her guard down; then one slammed into the back of her head and she stumbled, briefly blinded by a burst of pain. But she kept going, finally stopping next to Jar and doubling over, panting, her vision slowly adjusting again.

Jar looked at his stopwatch. "Three minutes, twenty-two seconds. Not bad, cadet. Not bad."

"But it's probably not good either," Ariva said, knowing how he thought.

He shrugged. "After only about two months of training? You did pretty decent. Mico, what do you think?"

Ariva sheathed her sword in its scabbard and turned to him.

He nodded in approval. "I think she has a very good chance at beating the Tallest." Mico looked at his fellows. "What do you all think?"

They nodded, talking about what they had seen, but the general consensus was satisfaction with her speed and strength.

"So… am I ready?" Ariva asked.

"Hmm… give us some time to arrange a good time for you to confront them. We'll want them to be on the bridge. Plenty of witnesses, they won't be able to play dirty."

"Okay…"

"Until we arrange it, keep practicing with that sword. Get really good. The Tallest will be very confident in their physical strength, and are generally very critical of 'primitive' technology, so they will be unlikely to choose a weapon. Use that to your advantage."

Ariva still had one concern. "Will I have to fight both at once?"

"Hmm… probably. Though if you challenge Tallest Red directly, he'll most likely tell Tallest Purple to stay back, he'll handle it. He likes showing off to his mate."

"Makes sense. I might have a better chance if I take them one at a time."

"We'll come get you when the time is right. See you, my Taller." Mico headed out, and the others followed him, until Jar and Ariva were left alone.

"Well, let's cool down with some weight lifting. Last time you lifted two hundred and twenty, but I think you can do better." Jar led the way to the exercise equipment.

"All right, let's do it." Ariva followed, idly massaging her sore eye. She was pretty confident in herself. She did have a chance against the Tallest.

A few days later, Mico came to fetch Ariva from her room. She had been cleaning her sword for the sake of something to do, when he walked in.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She stood, putting it in its scabbard and buckling it to a belt around her waist. "As ready as I'll ever be."

A male irken she recognized as her bodyguard came in with something in his arms. "Here, we brought you a gift." He laid it out on the couch. It was armor. There was a chest piece, protective elbow plates, and metallic, plated leggings. There was also a headpiece that seemed to be designed to cover just her antennae and the top and back of her head.

"Armor…" She drifted her fingers over it. This might just give her the extra advantage she needed. "Thank you."

They helped her put it all on, and when she had hung her sword off her right hip, she posed. "How do I look?"

Mico smiled as he looked up at her. "Like a strong, capable leader. You'll win this duel. I just know it."

She went to look at herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked strange in this armor, but… she had to admit, she did look strong.

She gently touched the old scar on the side of her head. Just one of the many ways the Tallest have hurt her…

Steeling herself, she walked back out to the other two. "All right. Let's go."

They headed out into the hall. Mico led the way, Ariva following right behind him, and the bodyguard behind her. It was weird, not being cloaked out here.

As they walked, they sometimes passed other irkens, who stared at them. A few seemed to recognize her, and pointed excitedly, whispering to each other.

The longer they walked, the more people began following them.

Ariva was saluted a few times, and she saluted back, smiling.

When they finally reached the entrance to the bridge, a guard blocked their way with a shock stick, but Ariva stepped forward, standing as tall as she could.

"I'm here to challenge Red and Purple for their place as Tallest. Step aside," she ordered in as firm a voice as she could muster.

He quickly moved aside. "Yes, m'am. Proceed."

She put her hand on the door, took a deep breath, and threw it open, entering with a crowd of curious crewmembers following behind her.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ariva masked her anxiety as she walked in, onto the raised platform where the Tallest sat, overseeing everything on the bridge. They were standing up now, waiting for her.

The workers down below were watching them, looking back and forth between their leaders and Ariva.

She went up to the pair, standing as tall as possible.

"So you aren't dead," Red stated. "Should have known. You just disabled your tracking device."

"Yes. I've been hiding right here on the Massive, and you never knew."

"You're clever, I'll give you that."

Ariva reached down to touch the pommel of her sword. "To business. My Tallest, I challenge you to a duel for your position of leadership! Fight to the death, if I win, I take your place as Tallest. You win, you stay Tallest, and I'll be dead."

Red looked at Purple. "Should we accept?"

"We have to. It's tradition," he replied.

"Right. Okay, Ariva. You're on. Pur, I can handle her."

Purple went to sit on the back of the couch to watch. "This'll be good."

Red moved to float in front of Ariva.

"I'm going to use this sword," she said, drawing it. "What will you use?"

As she expected, he replied, "Against a sword? What century are you in? I can take you with my bare hands."

"All right. Let's go." No chance to back out now; this was it. She lunged forward, swinging her sword. Surprisingly fast, Red's arm flew up, meeting the blade with his wrist gauntlet.

Recoil jolted up Ariva's arms, and she yanked her sword back, aiming a blow at his waist. Again, she met the surprisingly hard gauntlet.

"My armor is laser proof," Red laughed. "You think a metal blade can pierce it?"

She growled, dancing around him, but he kept turning to face her, not allowing his back to be toward her. "Well, your neck is still exposed," she said, swinging as hard as she could at it. He started to dodge, but wasn't quite fast enough; her blade connected instead with his arm right underneath his shoulder, completely severing it.

He leapt back with a yelp of pain, clutching the bleeding stump, while the rest of his arm fell to the floor.

Ariva felt sick, and quickly raised her gaze, not trusting herself to not throw up.

"Red!" Purple started to jump up, but Red shook his head.

"It's fine, it can be reattached later," he said, but his breath was ragged. His eyes were full of hate as he glared at Ariva.

She felt awful about hurting him, even if he's nearly killed her on several occasions, but she lifted her sword, taking advantage of the moment. She struck his side, but the armor made it feel like she was hitting a rock.

"Idiot girl." His fist connected with her face, shattering a few of her teeth. In retaliation, she stabbed with her sword, slipping it between the rings compressing his middle. There was just thick fabric here, which she managed to pierce and slice through the skin underneath.

With a snarl, he elbowed her in the chest, knocking her back and wrapping his intact arm around his waist.

"Come on, finish him!" someone shouted.

Ariva didn't want to kill him, but… she had to. She shifted her weight to one leg and planted her foot in his chest, slamming him down on his back, and lifted her sword.

Before she could deliver the finishing blow, he kicked out, connecting solidly with her leg and causing her to stumble. He got up, grabbing her sword arm and preventing her from striking him. She hissed and struggled, but he was stronger than he looked. She clawed at his face with her other hand, before reaching up to yank as hard as she could on one of his antennae.

With a howl of agony, he let go of her, shoving her down hard before reeling back, shaking his head to try to make the pain dissipate.

While he was distracted and nearly blind from the pain, Ariva took a stance, moving in close and swinging with all her might.

Purple jumped up, starting to yell, "Red, look out-"

Then the sword hit home, slicing right through skin and bone with a horrible grating sound, decapitating him, and the body fell heavily to the floor.

There were gasps and shouts from the spectators, and Ariva felt faintness pool in her at the reality of what she had just done, but she forced herself to return her sword to the ready position, trying not to look at the blood running down it.

An agonized scream tore from Purple as he rushed to his partner's side. "NO! RED!" He grasped the head with shaky fingers, lifting it.

Red couldn't respond; he was fading fast and his vocal cords had been severed. So he gazed strongly into Purple's eyes and mouthed the words, 'Kill her for me.'

"I… I will…" Tears streamed down Purple's face as he watched his mate's eyes finally slide shut, antennae going limp.

Ariva almost felt bad for him, but then his grief-stricken expression turned into one of pure fury, and he rounded on her.

"YOU BITCH!" He tackled her, knocking her sword out of her hands and slamming her to the floor. She was forced to wrestle with him, finding it extremely hard to breathe because of his heavy armor pressing down on her.

His sharp claws gouged into her face, nearly blinding her with her blood, and she squeezed them shut, attacking with her own claws, trying to get a hold on his vulnerable neck so she could either choke him or break it.

She wrapped her legs around him and rolled over, pinning him under her, punching and slashing as hard as she could. The only exposed skin was on his face, neck, and upper arms, so she was having trouble inflicting any significant damage.

By now, other irkens were crowded around them, watching, calling out advice, some rooting for her, others for Purple.

"I'll kill you for this!" Purple shouted, managing to tear off her head covering and tugging hard on one of her antennae, and the sudden pain was worse than anything she's ever felt, and she couldn't stop herself from shrieking.

He let go, grabbing her neck instead and starting to squeeze.

She gasped for air, claws scrabbling desperately at his face, and she suddenly felt softer flesh yield under one. He abruptly let go, hands flying to cover his eye as blood trickled from under his eyelid.

Ariva breathed deeply and drew back her fist, punching him in the jaw. He forgot about his eye, keeping it closed as he returned to fighting with her, and soon, both of their faces and necks were dripping blood from countless gashes. Neither were willing to give up, even if that meant bleeding to death.

Then she remembered her teeth. In a life or death situation, one must use any weapons available to them…

She jerked forward, sinking them deep into Purple's throat, shuddering a little at just how barbaric this was, forcing herself to tolerate the sudden taste of blood as she bit hard and yanked back, tearing out a chunk of flesh and breaking a major artery.

His claws contracted sharply into her sides under her chest armor, cutting through her shirt, before one hand fell away, and he breathed deeply, though the sound was labored.

Ariva spit out the skin and blood in her mouth, shifting her weight to keep the other pinned down, waiting for him to bleed to death.

Then she saw him reaching for something out of the corner of her eye, but before she could react, he had grabbed her discarded sword and plunged it into her stomach, where there was no armor to protect her.

She cried out in pain, doubling over, staring down at it with wide eyes.

"If we can't be Tallest, neither can you," Purple muttered, a savage grin on his torn face, some blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

With as much strength as she could muster, Ariva punched the side of his head, so hard that it snapped to the side with a disgusting cracking sound. His limbs jolted before slackening, and his body went limp, but she didn't check to see if he was dead. Gasping for breath, she tried to crawl off, but ended up tumbling off instead, landing on her side, eyes losing focus as pain messages clouded her mind, far too many to count, from her face, her antenna, and especially her stomach. It hurt, it hurt worse than the laser had, she could feel the sharp blade cutting into her with every breath she took.

Someone ran to her, kneeling down next to her, and she recognized him as Mico.

"D-did I win?" she mumbled.

Another irken went to check Purple, waiting for a moment, then giving a solemn nod.

Mico put his hand on Ariva's shoulder. "Yes. They're dead, but you're-"

"It's all right." She grasped the pommel of the sword weakly. "I did it. Their reign is over…"

"Don't pull that out, it's the only thing keeping you from bleeding to death."

"It hurts."

"I know." He turned to the crowd, yelling, "Someone, get a gurney and medic in here, now!"

Ariva sighed, closing her eyes.

"Ariva, don't fall asleep!"

But it was so comfortable on the floor…

"You might not wake up!"

Fine by her, being awake meant pain.

For the second time in her life, she felt deep sleep take over her, and she didn't fight it.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Muffled noises met Ariva's antennae. She didn't respond, content to keep her eyes closed and everything dark. She felt heavy. She doubted she'd be able to lift an arm.

There wasn't much scent here, wherever she was. But oh, there was definitely noise. And she felt warm and a little comfy, even. Though there was a small ache in her stomach, and an odd sensation in her arms. But that was strangely familiar at the same time.

Slowly, she began to realize some of the noises around her were actually words, and she flicked her antennae, trying to listen in.

"…heart rate and respiratory has risen over the past hour, she'll be waking up any moment now," a male voice was saying.

A female replied, "About time, you've had her under sedation for three days."

"Our surgeons needed the time, she was almost dead by the time she got here. We're lucky she kept the sword in, or she might have bled out."

A hand touched her arm, adjusting something, and she twitched at the unexpected sensation.

"Ariva?" the male asked. "Are you awake?"

Ariva's mouth felt dry and her tongue too think, but she managed to rasp, "Yes," before coughing.

"Darl, get her a sponge."

"Of course, sir," the female said, and after a moment, a soft, moist cube of material was gently dabbed along Ariva's lips, making them feel a little better. "Here, suck on this."

Ariva bit down on it, letting the liquid trickle along her tongue. Ah, that felt better.

"Can you open your eyes?" the male asked.

Though she was tired and would much rather pass out again, she nodded and opened her eyes partway. The face of a male irken came into view, looking at her with concern. He was wearing scrubs and a white coat; he must be her doctor. Nearby was the nurse, Darl.

She was lying in a hospital bed, covered up by a crisp sheet, hooked up to various machines. Yes, this was familiar.

"How do you feel?"

Ariva pushed the sponge into her cheek, took a quick inventory of how she felt, and settled with, "A bit woozy. And tired."

"Any pain?"

"Hmm… a little bit, in my stomach."

"Well, we have you on painkiller. The wound will take a while to heal, but our best surgeons were able to remove the sword and patch you up. You'll recover."

"Oh, good." Ariva sighed in relief, then thought about her duel with the Tallest and shuddered. She had killed them. She's never taken a life before… she felt awful. "I can't believe I actually did that… I never wanted to be a killer, but I… I had to do it."

"It's all right. Honestly, they weren't very good leaders. We're glad you challenged them." The doctor held out his hand. "Spit that out, we don't want you ingesting liquid that way yet. Your stomach isn't quite healed, the sword went right through it."

Ariva spit out the sponge. "Ow."

"Yes, but it's healing. You'll be fine." The doctor went to check some monitors.

"So… I guess I'm the Tallest now?" Ariva asked.

"Technically, not yet. You have to be officially acknowledged by the Control Brains, given custom armor, and then go through the coronation ceremony."

"Oh, right. I've never been to one, Red and Purple were Tallest before I was even born. I guess I'll have to heal before doing that, huh?"

"That's right. Well, we'll let you rest." The two started to leave.

"Wait." Ariva sat up. Her vision blurred for a moment at the movement. "Can you invite my friends here? I'm sure they'll love to see me again."

"Hmm… okay. Tell Darl their numbers."

Darl put a pencil to her clipboard.

"You can just call Flek, he'll pass along the news to the others." Ariva told her Flek's ID number.

"We'll contact them. We'll be back soon."

The two left, and Ariva rested back, closing her eyes and relaxing. Whatever medicine they had given her made her very sleepy.

Apparently she fell asleep, because the next thing she knew, a voice was saying, "Wake up, you've got visitors."

Ariva had barely started to open her eyes before a much more familiar voice shouted, "Ariva!" and three people crowded around her bed.

"Hey," she said, smiling. "I've missed you guys."

"We missed you too." Flek leaned down to hug her.

"In the hospital again, this is becoming a good look for you," Xyle said. He hugged her too.

Finally, Lutz leaned down to embrace her, eyes full of tears. "You need to stop almost dying."

"Sorry. But this is the last time, I promise."

"You are a maniac!" Xyle said. "I mean, geeze! Jumping out of a fourth story window? Running off and hiding on the Massive? Apparently training in secret to become a ninja? Never thought you had it in you."

She chuckled. "I forgot just how entertaining you were to listen to…"

"I can't believe you challenged the Tallest," Flek said. "They got cameras on you, it was broadcasted, we all saw it… all the news channels are still talking about it!"

"When you cut off Red's head… so vicious," Xyle commented.

"But when Purple stabbed you…" Lutz trembled. "I was so scared. Luckily they got some doctors to you real quick…"

"Everyone's been talking about this," Xyle added.

"Yeah, I bet." Ariva rolled her shoulders, wanting to get into a more comfortable position, but knowing she had to stay on her back. "So, did you enjoy your flight to the Massive?"

"It was awesome!" Xyle exclaimed.

"They sent a cruiser to pick us up," Lutz said. "A really nice one. It only took a few hours to get out here."

"That's cool. You're my friends, of course they'll send you a nice cruiser." Ariva yawned. "Dang, why am I so tired?"

"They probably have you on medication," Flek suggested. "Painkillers and such. They usually do make you tired."

"Probably." Ariva glanced toward the door. She was kinda hungry. Then she remembered they were feeding her through tubes and she wasn't supposed to ingest anything.

"Hey, can I see the wound?" Xyle asked.

Flek slapped him in the back of the head. "Can you be more sensitive, please?"

Ariva shifted a little, but from what she could feel, she was wearing just a gown and nothing underneath. So she said, "Sorry, but I'd rather stay under the covers."

"Of course, sorry."

The four talked for a while, getting caught up, until Darl came in with a tray of assorted bottles.

"We need to give her her daily medications," she said, setting the tray on a table and picking up a syringe, drawing a large amount into it. "But you're free to stay in the guest rooms and come visit her later."

"All right, we'll do that," Flek started to say, but Ariva shook her head.

"You should go home. You all have jobs, I don't want you to lose them."

"Hey, our friend's in the hospital, they'll understand."

"Besides," Xyle said, "You're the Tallest. With your influence, you could easily get our jobs back for us."

"Good point. And speaking of jobs…" Ariva paused briefly as she was injected with medicine, "Flek, I'm hiring you. You're going to be an ambassador."

He stared at her. "Really?"

"Really. As soon as I'm officially coronated, there's gonna be a lot of changes around here."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Two months later:

Ariva stood with her arms outstretched, as the final pieces of her armor were snapped tightly onto her. It was heavy; no wonder the Tallest have hovering devices attached to them. Walking wouldn't exactly be easy in all this.

A pair of pink-striped gauntlets were shown to her, but when she held out her wrists, someone said, "These won't be put on yet. First, the ceremony." He showed her that they only had two finger holes. None for her thumbs.

"Oh. Right." She looked down at her hands, moving her thumbs. "I understand."

One of her helpers finished fastening anti-gravity rings around her middle, and she hissed slightly when it made the sword wound ache.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

He stepped back. "All right. These are controlled by your thoughts. Try hovering."

She willed herself to rise up, and she did. She nearly fell over; it was weird not having ground under her feet. But after a few moments, she got it figured out.

A full length mirror was pulled in front of her, and she admired herself. Her armor was in shades of pink to match her eyes and PAK coloring, but she thought it was very fitting.

She twirled, looking at herself from all angles. She liked it. It was hard to believe she was actually here, despite all odds, in custom made Tallest armor.

And to think she had expected herself to go on to be a physicist… while she knew she would still think about what could have been, she was much more excited for this. She had so many ideas for the Empire…

"It's time," a voice said from the doorway.

Ariva turned to see an irken male of respectable height, in dark robes, waiting for her. He motioned to her, and she followed him out. The man with her gauntlets followed a large distance behind.

It wasn't a long walk. Soon, they were exiting the building and climbing the stairs up onto a tall platform overlooking the Capital City main square. Which was packed with people, who cheered and waved at her. She waved back, smiling when she saw her friends near the front. Xyle blew her a kiss.

But her smile faded when she reached a small, suspiciously stained table and her guide told her to place her hands flat on it, with her thumbs stretched out.

Cameras hovered next to them, focusing on her.

An expectant hush fell over the crowd.

The irken drew a small, very old but very sharp knife out of an inside pocket of his robe. "Ariva. Do you accept the responsibility of becoming the Almighty Tallest?"

"Yes."

"Do you promise to uphold our laws and traditions?"

"Yes."

"And do everything in your power to make our race progress?"

She nodded, saying, "Yes, I do."

"Then I will wield the ceremonial blade, and you shall show us that you are strong enough to rule us with only two fingers on each of your hands." He lifted the knife.

Ariva could have sworn she stopped breathing.

The blade flew down, slicing clean through her left thumb, right at the joint where it joined her hand.

She jerked, biting down hard to keep from screaming, closing her eyes at the pain. Then, remembering that she was supposed to look as strong as possible, she forced her eyes back open, just in time to see the blade remove her other thumb. She flinched again, panting now, staring at the blood running onto the table before lifting her gaze to the other, who was expressionless. He grabbed one of her wrists, pulling her around to the front of the table and lifting her arm. "All hail Almighty Tallest Ariva!"

The crowd erupted into cheering once more, and Ariva couldn't help smiling, trying to ignore the warmth trickling down her arm. She saw a few people hoisting up 'Tallest Ariva Rules!' banners, and she could have sworn she saw a few balloons fly into the air.

Then she was allowed to lower her arm, and a medic approached her, gently cleaning off the blood, checking to make sure the amputations were clean before spraying them with a medicine, numbing them. She sighed in relief as the pain dissipated, and he wrapped bandages tightly around her hands, covering the holes. "That'll heal over smoothly," he assured her, then scurried away.

The male with the gauntlets came forward, clasping them around her wrists; they were so large they covered her hands too. She pushed her fingers through the openings and held them out. These were really heavy… no wonder Red had been able to block her sword with them.

She moved forward, looking down at the people below; her people. She was their leader. And they were probably expecting a speech. She never did like public speaking… she guessed she needed to get used to it now.

A microphone was put in front of her, and she smiled the best she could despite her hands still feeling a little sore. "Hello, my subjects. I am very happy to be standing here before you today as your new Almighty Tallest. Getting here almost killed me… literally. I was in the hospital onboard the Massive for more than a month after Purple stabbed me. But here I am, and I have many big plans for the Empire, which I hope to begin implementing as soon possible. They may seem strange, but trust me, they will be very beneficial in the long run. Thank you for coming out here." She inclined her head, and the crowd clapped and cheered once more.

Ariva turned around with a sigh of relief, quickly passing the table so she wouldn't see her severed thumbs still lying on it. She headed down the staircase, going around to the front of the platform to find her friends. She shook hands with the people she passed, but when she found her friends, she swept all of them into a hug.

"You guys are the best," she said. "Thanks for being here."

"No prob," Flek replied.

"We had to come show our support," Lutz said. "I mean, our friend is the Almighty Tallest!"

"Man, that thumb-cutting ritual, though…" Xyle said. "You were really brave to do that. Did it hurt?"

"A lot. But they numbed my hands afterward, so I don't really feel anything now." Ariva let go of them and smiled. "Well, I have to go. Flek, you ready?"

He adjusted his dark purple ambassador suit. "Oh yeah. Ready."

"Then let's go make history." Ariva started to head to her personal cruiser that would take her back to the Massive, then paused, looking back. "Lutz, I'm going to call your boss. I'm getting you your dream job."

Lutz smiled widely. "Thank you, Ariva- sorry, thank you, my Tallest."

"It's gonna be hard to get used to that," Ariva laughed. "See you later, guys."

She and Flek got in the cruiser, sitting down in the comfortable seats. It was soon shooting up through the atmosphere.

"So, Vort first?" Flek asked.

Ariva nodded. "They were our allies when Miyuki was Tallest. It's time we return them to that status."

"I couldn't agree more. I see a very good future ahead of us."

"Yeah, but it won't be easy."

"That's fine. It'll be worth it."

Ariva smiled in agreement, draping an arm around her friend's neck. "It sure will be."


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue

While many people found Ariva's plans different from what previous Tallest have done, there was no doubt they were very progressive.

One of her first large acts was to free every single planet they had conquered in the past, and then send ambassadors to them to try and convince them to become allies. Many were reluctant, which was to be expected. But eventually, they managed to befriend them once more, and what was an empire soon became more of an intergalactic economic system. They continued to produce goods for Irk, but they were bought or traded for, not just taken.

Flek had the honor of going to ease tensions with the Vortians. Though he had gotten a very nasty scar across his eye from his first encounter, he had stayed cool and managed to convince them of the benefits to being Irk's ally. He didn't even try to press charges against the Vortian that had clawed him, claiming that he would have done the same thing.

Once relationships with the other planets was restored, Ariva eliminated the Invader class of soldiers, bringing them back to join the local military that defend against attacks from hostile alien species, or assigning them to protect their allies. She even took the time to contact each of them individually to discuss it with them.

Reactions were mixed. A few Invaders were quite happy to come home. Some were neutral. Others were disappointed or even angry that they had to give up on their planets, but she was their leader, so they came back. Some asked if they could take other jobs, which she allowed. As long as they were happy and productive, it didn't matter to her.

One Invader in particular, who had to be nearly the age of Red and Purple, had been extremely confused to receive her call. He congratulated her on becoming Tallest, then explained that he had been banished to a distant planet, so he hasn't been keeping track of Irk news.

He went on to tell her that he couldn't come back, he had a native partner that he's been with for many decades of that planet's time, but thanks for calling.

Unable to force someone to leave their mate, Ariva told him to stay there, and it was nice talking to him.

Once the Invaders were taken care of, she moved on to other plans. She donated more resources to public education, scientific, and medical research, knowing how valuable they were.

She spent a lot of time visiting various labs, admiring their work, checking over notes and experiments. She may be the Tallest, but she was still a scientist at heart. She helped whenever she could, contributing with her knowledge, and was soon admired as one of the most intelligent Tallest they've had in years. And her relationship with the public was good. She was kind and forgiving, and actually cared about whatever problems her subjects had, doing whatever she could to help.

She granted an audience to almost anyone if she wasn't busy, visited people in hospitals, and made speeches at schools to curious, hopeful kids, from ones barely out of smeethood, all the way up to teenagers. She always encouraged them to be the best they could be, and don't let anyone drag them down.

She even had several opportunities to lecture at prestigious universities, which she loved. Anything to continue learning and teach in return.

Yes, despite the stress and overwhelming responsibility, Ariva really did enjoy being the Almighty Tallest, something she had once said she wouldn't like. Oh, how things have changed.

The pink-eyed irken made her way up to the front of a classroom filled with attentive adults, all with laptops and notebooks out, ready to observe and learn. They reminded her of herself.

Her dream of achieving something great had come true, and though it had taken her a lot of pain to get here, she wouldn't change a thing.

Almighty Tallest Ariva was happy.

The End

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_A.N. Thanks so much to everyone who read and especially to those who reviewed, your support brought a smile to my face and encouraged me to keep posting this here when originally it was just going to be on deviantART. I hope you enjoyed. 3_


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